You're Finally Back
by sasukekicks
Summary: "I'm sorry…" he managed to spurt out. "Sorry… for what?" "For everything" "You should be…. Really…. You… You idiot…" [A short story relaying the events just after Naruto and Sasuke's Final Fight. SasuSaku, canon-compliant.]
1. Valley of the End

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

With all her remaining strength, Sakura held on tightly to her sensei and dashed through the trees as fast as she could to the only place her former teammates could be, the Valley of the End.

After what felt like an eternity later, Sakura arrived at the cliff just before the waterfall. She helped Kakashi down from her side and looked around her. It looked as if the war had taken place here, as well.

She rose slowly and approached the edge. There, at the bottom of the valley, were two figures of the men cared most about. Not moving, not making a sound. A wave of emotion struck her and she sprang down to them as fast as she could.

The sight wasn't pretty. The two boys - no, men - were beaten to a pulp. Their eyes swollen shut. Their arms missing, covered in blood. Without skipping a beat, Sakura fell to the ground and began healing the two.

"Sakura-chan… Thank you", the blonde began to open his eyes and smile as his teammate healed him. Sasuke's eyes peeled open in that moment as well.

"Sakura…. never mind me-"

"Stay quiet now. I need to concentrate"

Sakura cut him off and continued to tend to them both. Sasuke didn't understand why she was healing him. After what he had put her through, after what he had put them all through, she was saving his life without even a second thought. As if everything had returned to the way it once was.

"I'm sorry…" he managed to spurt out.

"Sorry… for what?"

"For everything"

His voice was sincere. He hadn't said much - he couldn't say much - but Sakura understood what that meant. Her old teammate was back from the depths of darkness. While Naruto never gave up hope, Sakura had left behind her dream that Sasuke would return to Konaha and be his old self again. Yet here he was, finally giving her the apology she deserved. She could no longer contain her emotions and tears welled up in her eyes, no matter how hard she fought them back.

"You should be…. Really…. You… You idiot…"

Naruto lay there with a smirk on his face, despite everything he had gone through. His best friend, his brother, his teammate was back. Sakura's tears brought him joy, as he knew they were no longer tears of sadness from Sasuke. She calmed herself down, but kept her eyes to the ground.

"I've stopped the bleeding… that should be good for until we can get you home" She said, wiping her eyes. The two in front of her sat up slowly.

"Teme is back Sakura! We finally did it" Naruto was grinning from ear to ear. Sakura looked to Sasuke, and he had a huge smile on his face as well, completely uncharacteristic of himself. Here sat a man who had just had the burden of revenge, of hate, of darkness completely lifted off his shoulders. It was no wonder he couldn't help himself.

"After these past few years, I thought he was hopeless, but turns out the real Sasuke was there all along! He just needed a good 'ol Uzumaki beatdown to set him straight!" Naruto cracked up at himself, leaving Sasuke to chuckle at his boisterous friend, and Sakura to laugh through her tears.

"Naruto, aren't you forgetting something?" Sasuke finally asked. Naruto nodded and tried to get up, but from his chakra depletion, blood loss, and the recent loss of a limb, fell back down immediately, face first into the small river, sending his teammates into another bout of laughter.

He composed himself and got back up, this time slower to keep his balance, laughing at himself all the while.

"Sakura… could you give me a hand?" Sasuke asked softly as he himself had trouble rising. She reached out and met his hand, and he lifted himself up safely. Sakura held tightly and helped him off the remnants of the statues that lay destroyed at the base of the valley, and over to where Naruto stood.

Naruto stood with Sasuke to his left side. The two joined their remaining hands and formed the seal to break the Infinite Tsukiyomi.

* * *

Kakashi jumped down to where they were. He looked at Sasuke, unsure of what to say, but no words needed to be said. They nodded at each other in understanding, and that was enough.

"Shall we go home?" Kakashi watched his students, no longer innocent children, but veterans of war. The three rose to start walking back, and almost simultaneously, Naruto and Sasuke collapsed on the ground out of sheer exhaustion.

"I'm sorry guys… I'm so tired…" Naruto squeaked out on the ground. Sasuke looked over and caught his glance.

"Guess you'll get left behind then, dobe" Sasuke said in reply with a smirk, getting himself up quickly. Before he could basque in his small victory for another second, he collapsed again.

Kakashi and Sakura smiled and laughed at the two, already competing with each other as they had back in their genin days. Sakura approached Sasuke and crouched, motioning for him to climb on her back.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke said, sitting up. After all, the last time they interacted, he had left her unconscious with a terrible genjutsu. Sakura nodded. "It's not too far back. You need to rest".

Sasuke climbed on Sakura's back, holding her tightly with his one good arm and nuzzled his face on her shoulder. No more words were said between them, but Sakura swore she felt a tear fall on her bare skin.

Kakashi picked up Naruto on his back as well and they began their journey back to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the two heroes of the Fourth Great Ninja War fast asleep on their backs.

* * *

A/N: Hi guys! I know most of this was recapping what happened at the end of the manga, but it would have been weird not to include it. My vision for this is to be a SasuSaku story, as true to their characters as possible, but we'll see how much time I have to write and expand. Please review and let me know if you'd like to read more.


	2. Home

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

The reunited team arrived at the An gates at the entrance of their home. There was an eerie silence coming from the village, as its residents were either still on the battlefield or at home, in a daze after awakening from the infinite tsukiyomi.

"Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi? Is that you? and… is that…" Konahamaru had been stationed at the front gate to watch the village. Naturally, all older ninja had been sent out to fight in the war, leaving the village stretched thin in terms of filling their usual stations. Naruto began to open his eyes at the sound of his own name, and Konahamaru jumped over his desk to help Kakashi get the blonde back on his own two feet.

Sakura tilted her head to check on Sasuke, who still was still fast asleep on her back. Her arms were almost falling asleep and in pain from carrying him, but that wasn't enough for her to mind his being there.

"Konahamaru!" Naruto exclaimed when he finally processed the situation. "We're back! The war is over!"

At the sound of the two loud mouths catching up, Sakura heard a grunt coming from her shoulder. "Sakura…"

She crouched down to help him off her back slowly and held his hand to helped him catch his balance.

"Can you walk?" She asked politely, keeping a comfortable distance away from him. She felt unsure of how to treat him, after all this time. There had been a time when Sasuke would be upset if she had tried to help him when he didn't need it.

"Well… I could use a hand" he muttered out, now half asleep in addition to the blood loss, the exhaustion. Sakura's eyes lit up and she put his lone arm around her shoulders, and her arm around his side.

"Naruto, let's get going. You need to be looked at as soon as possible." Sakura ordered. Naruto nodded and waved goodbye at Konahamaru before leaning on Kakashi to walk to the hospital.

* * *

The group quickly arrived at the hospital and entered through the lobby. There was no one in the waiting room, no doctors around, and not a sound to be heard.

"Hello?!" Sakura set Sasuke down on one of the chairs in the waiting room and went through the corridor to look for someone, anyone less exhausted than she. After some time, she found a single nurse caring for an elderly man in one of the patient rooms.

"Sakura-san! You're back!" she said with wide eyes.

"Where is everyone? Is there anyone on duty here?"

"No, it's just me for the emergency services. There may be a few more up stairs, but the rest have been dispatched to tend to the wounded on the battlefield."

Sakura nodded. "Please come with me. We have two wounded from the war here who need immediate care." She left the room and the young nurse followed quickly behind her.

Kakashi and Sakura led the two heroes into an empty room, helping them climb into their own bed.

"Okay, please prepare a small chakra and blood infusion for both of them. I'll take care of their immediate wounds." Sakura put on her medical gloves and started at Naruto's bed to remove his shirt and examine his body. A broken rib, a thousand cuts and bruises, a missing arm, but nothing too serious. Sakura set the rib back into place as best as she could, causing a yelp from the blonde, and then continued to finish healing his arm to prevent any infection.

The nurse came back in with the infusions, and Sakura motioned for her to begin with Naruto. She moved over to Sasuke and began removing his shirt for an examination. She tried not to make eye contact for fear of blushing uncontrollably. After tending to his missing arm, Sakura found only a small crack in his skull just above his temple.

She rested her hand on his face and injected soothing chakra to the affected area. His eyes were closed, but his lips tugged upwards, showing total contentment with the situation. Sakura wasn't sure, but she believed he had already drifted back to sleep.

Sakura watched his soft features, finally at peace for the first time in his life since the day his brother slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan. Even when they were just genin and on a team together, he was never really free - though they had good times together. She wondered if she knew the Sasuke sitting before her. If things were going to go back to how they were, or if the three of them would be approaching a new path. Her train of thought was interrupted by Kakashi.

"Sakura… can I speak with you outside?"

Sakura nodded and they stepped out of the room, leaving the two to rest.

"Sakura, I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but with the newfound peace between the five hidden villages, all Kage need to somehow come to an agreement about him". Kakashi chose his words to his former student very carefully.

Sakura said nothing, her eyes drifting towards the room. She knew he was right, but those words hurt her to hear. At the Five Kage Summit, which was called because he attacked and was thought to have kidnapped Killer Bee, he had attacked all of them, killing the acting Hokage and severing the arm of the Raikage. They weren't going to go easy on him.

"You and Naruto will need to be prepared to fight for him. I will do the same, but please don't have your expectations too high." Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll do everything we can"

Sakura nodded as tears began to build in her eyes. Kakashi left down the corridor, deep in thought, leaving Sakura to mull over what he had just reminded her. She opened the door back into the room, to find that the nurse had finished setting up their infusions. Sakura dismissed her, leaving her alone with the two men she loved the most.

Suddenly, she felt the effects of all the adrenaline she had been sustaining herself on for the past three days. Without hardly any sleep, with using almost all of her chakra, being knocked unconscious, racing to the valley of the end, saving her teammates from death, carrying them home…

The room started spinning and she felt terribly light headed. She took the nearest seat, next to Sasuke's bed, and without a second thought rested her head on his bed and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A/N Feeling motivated to write some more. Please review, I'd love to know your thoughts and it's really motivating to help me write more when I have time!


	3. Family

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Sasuke had trouble remembering where he was when he woke up. He almost panicked, before he saw Naruto fast asleep to his left, and Sakura passed out at the foot of his bed. Judging by the day, it was already well into the morning. The three had slept for almost an entire day.

The events of the previous day flashed through his morning and he lay there in shock. The ghost of his left arm taunted him, as he had heard missing limbs can do. Reminding him of all his past mistakes and failures in his quest for revenge.

Yet, despite it all, Sakura and Naruto were here with him as if nothing had ever happened. As if he was forgiven of all his past mistakes. He quickly began to feel overwhelmed, and in the privacy of the moment, let tears softly fall from his face.

* * *

Around a half hour after Sasuke woke up, Sakura began to stir. She slowly lifted her head, and looked around. Her face looked so absent and confused, Sasuke wondered if she was actually still asleep. She tried to straighten up, but her face revealed quickly that her back had cramped up in the hunched over position she slept in.

Upon seeing her half-asleep struggle, Sasuke climbed slowly out of bed and walked over to her. With the help of a purple, spectral left arm, he gently lifted her up into his bed. Her face cringed as she straightened out, but quickly faded into a content smile as she drifted back to sleep. Sasuke grabbed the small stool and brought it over to the window where he could watch Konaha scrambling to return everything to as close to it had been before as possible.

Though, for most, it would never be the same. So many lives had been lost in the war: Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Sisters. Children were left without parents, without their family. The realization hit him that there are countless people out there who feel exactly as he once did.

He thought about leaving then and there. He certainly wasn't looking forward to dealing with the Kage, and he wondered if it would be easier for his teammates if they didn't have to deal with it either. He could probably just open the window and leave then and there, no one would stop him. Looking back at the others fast asleep, he opened up the window.

"Sasuke-kun…?" Sakura's eyes were half open, but this time showed that she was really awake. Sasuke turned to her and she realized that he must have moved here from the slouch she fell asleep in. "What are you doing? You're the one who needs the rest, not me!"

Sasuke smiled softly. No, he couldn't leave them. It might be a difficult road ahead, but nothing compared to what they had already been through to get to this point.

"You looked like you were in pain from slouching over the bed. Thought we could switch and I could get some fresh air" he half-lied, pushing the thoughts of leaving out of his head.

Sakura smiled. She was so tired still, though somehow refreshed from her overdose of sleep, next to Sasuke and Naruto. But at some point, she had to get up.

"That sounds like a great idea. Would you like to go for a short walk?" Sakura asked without thinking. Sasuke had rejected her invitations so many times, and now that he was finally back, she just asked out of pure instinct. She quickly retracted, not wanting to be overbearing. "Of course, I don't mind going alone if you'd like to-"

Sasuke cut her off, sensing her regret in being forward with him. "No, that's ok. I think I'd like that".

Sakura blushed in surprise at his answer. She supposed, maybe he _wasn't_ the same Sasuke as before. But that didn't have to be a bad thing.

She crawled out of the bed and briefly fixed her hair and looked down at herself. She was still covered in dirty, bloody clothing that hadn't been changed in days, the sleeve ripped off and her arm covered in scars from acid burns in the fight with Kaguya. The first time back with Sasuke, and she looked like THIS.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to stop at home." Sakura added, gesturing to her messy clothing. Sasuke simply nodded and the two left the hospital together.

* * *

The two arrived at Sakura's home - to Sasuke's dismay - her childhood home.

"Please come inside! Help yourself to a shower and maybe some fresh clothes?" Sakura offered lightly. She figured he probably needed it as much as she did.

"Thank you… but I can wait out here" he said simply. He figured now was not the time or place to meet her parents. Something told him they wouldn't be as forgiving as Sakura had been. His eyes met the ground as he thought about her offer. He really did want a shower though.

"Are you sure? No one should be home. My parents work at their office for at least another few hours" Sakura wasn't sure, but she had a pretty good idea at the source of his hesitation. Sasuke looked at her, and nodded. For being away from each other for so long, they were still pretty good at understanding one another, even without words.

Sakura led the way inside. Sasuke took the first shower, careful to keep his bandaged arm dry. When he was finished, he found a neatly folded outfit for him just outside the bathroom. Stealing clothing from Sakura's father wasn't near the top of things he wanted to do today, but at this point, it was too difficult to say no to a fresh, clean outfit. Sakura had chosen a blue shirt and white shorts for him, and he wondered if she had done that on purpose.

He took a seat in the living room on the couch while Sakura took her turn in the shower. It had been Sasuke's first normal hot shower in a long time, and that, coupled with his ever present exhaustion, helped him drift off yet again into sleep.

He was abruptly awoken by the sound of a woman screaming. He jolted up to see the face of a woman he had seen only once or twice before - Sakura's mother.

In a panic, he bet on that she was unaware of everything that had transpired between himself and Sakura in the past. He stood quickly and bowed to greet her. She dropped the small bag of groceries she was carrying, leaving some fruits to roll out onto the floor.

"Uchiha" She snarled. "You're back. I won't let you take her life this time." Despite being a civilian, she produced a Kunai and shifted into a fighting stance. Sasuke shuddered, but did his best to appear calm. He bowed down on one knee to do his best to portray his innocence in the situation.

"Sakura brought me here. Please forgive me"

"Like hell she did!" Sakura's mother charged at Sasuke, leaving him in a panic, not knowing how serious she was and if he should - or could - try to stop her.

Just as she was about to strike Sasuke, a hand reached out from behind and grabbed her wrist. Suddenly, in between them, Sakura stood there, one hand holding up her bath towel, the other grasping her mother's wrist. Her closeness and her lack of clothing made Sasuke very comfortably uncomfortable.

"What is going on here?!" Sakura yelled at her mother.

"I came home for lunch and the man that tried to kill my daughter is sitting in my living room. That is what is going on here" Her mother yelled back, fiercely. Sasuke could certainly see that the two were related. Sakura turned red with embarrassment and fury at the situation. She took a deep breath and quickly composed herself.

"Mom… no… Sasuke is back… It's… He's back" she sputtered out. Her mother showed no understanding until a few seconds later, when her features softened. She pushed Sakura out of the way, causing her to fall over and probably exposing good portion of herself before she was able to fix her towel. It was no worry though, as Sakura's mother and Sasuke were locked in a staring match.

Sasuke grew more and more uncomfortable, feeling sweat dripping down his face as the older woman slowly approached, looking deep into his eyes.

"Are you back, Sasuke?" She asked firmly, frightening him in a way he couldn't describe. He nodded nervously, backing slowly back into the couch seat he had been occupying before.

The older woman straighten up and smiled. "Well isn't that wonderful to hear! Welcome home Sasuke!" She turned around and picked up her grocery bag and retreated into the Kitchen.

Sakura stood up from the floor, holding her towel and taking great care to keep herself covered. "I suppose I'll get dressed then" she said and hurried back to the rest room to finish getting ready.

Sasuke, suddenly drenched in sweat, felt like could already use another shower. 'That's definitely Sakura's mother…' he thought to himself, while trying to forget what just happened.

* * *

A/N: Well I hope that was as fun to read as it was to write. Poor Sasuke. He's really just not having an easy time. Well as always, please review and let me know what you think! I love to get feedback as I am a very amateur writer and while it's fun to write, it's more fun if people enjoy it.


	4. Something Old

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

Sakura quickly finished getting ready and went to the living room. Sasuke sat, staring at the floor, obviously not comfortable being there. They made eye contact and Sasuke rose to leave the house with her.

For a few moments, they walked in silence together. Sakura felt mortified at the situation they were in earlier today, and it didn't take long before she needed to say something about it.

"Sasuke… I'm so sorry for earlier. I know you're still exhausted and I didn't want you to have to stress out about anything like that" Sakura kept her eyes to the ground. As a physician, she probably shouldn't have even let him leave the hospital room in his condition. However, Sasuke Uchiha is not one for being cooped up in a bed all day.

Sasuke gave a small smirk. "Don't worry about it, Sakura. I didn't expect a Welcome Home parade." His light heartedness at the situation surprised the medic, although after everything they had been through, she supposed he could handle a little bit of drama.

"Are you hungry? Or is there anywhere you'd like to go?" Sakura asked, trying to change the subject to forget about her embarrassment.

"Actually… there is." Sasuke left the statement at that and led the way.

* * *

They arrived shortly at an apartment complex. Sakura had passed by the building many times before, but had never entered.

Sasuke opened the door to the main lobby, and walked in. He made a left and entered a staircase, with such familiarity that Sakura was sure he'd been here many times before.

When they got to the fourth floor, Sasuke wandered down the hall and kneeled down before one of the doors. He folded down his shoe slightly, revealing a tiny pouch and pulled out a small key. He put the key in the door and entered, motioning for Sakura to follow.

"Is this… yours?" Sakura asked, looking around. It was extremely spacious and nice, very clean although having a strange, musty smell from years of closed windows. She peeked in the bedroom to find a huge balcony there, just outside a sleek wall of windows.

Sasuke didn't respond to her, but passed her into the bedroom. There, on the desk next to the bedroom, was a small photo frame face down. He picked it up and stared at the photo in the frame. Their faces in the photo were so perfect, in hindsight. He set the photo back down, properly mounted to show the photo.

"I just wanted to check for something here" he said simply, half in reply to her question. Sakura watched him exit the bedroom and go back into the living room area. He opened a drawer and pulled out a small box. He opened it, eyes the contents, and closed it back again.

"Sakura… no matter what happens, please keep this safe for me" Sasuke spoke softly, and handed her the small box. The box itself was beautiful and intricate, with the Uchiha emblem outlined in probably priceless jewels. Sakura looked up and began to ask what was inside, but realized it may be something private. She bit her lip and looked away.

"It's my parents' wedding rings. Its the only thing I have left from them" Sasuke stated, sensing her curiosity. Sakura's eyes widened, and she nodded, in awe of the beautiful piece he entrusted her with.

Sasuke left the apartment, holding the door for Sakura and then locking up behind her. He then handed her his key.

"Why are you giving me the key?"

"If I'm being realistic, as soon as they realize I'm in good health from the war, I'm going to be thrown in jail…" his eyes glued to the ground. His thoughts drifted once again to leaving, to running away, but he knew deep down that he deserved to suffer from the things that he had done. There was no future for him if he didn't approach the situation in the right way.

"I'm sure you were looking to find your own place soon. I'd like for you to have it"

"Sasuke, I…" Sakura stood shocked at the gesture. She understood what he meant and knew that he had to be realistic about his future, but couldn't bear to think of what may happen to him. As much as she wanted to reassure him that he would be back in no time, she knew she couldn't promise that. Completely at a loss for words, tears began to well up in her eyes.

She stopped and embraced him, there in the empty hallway of the apartment buildings. Sasuke stiffened up instinctively form her touch, and although he didn't return the embrace, he didn't push her away, either.

"I will do everything I can, Sasuke" Sakura said, holding back her tears.

* * *

Nothing more was said on the way back to the hospital. When they reached the room, Naruto, Kakashi, and Tsunade were engaging in light hearted chatter, but immediately stiffened up once Sasuke entered the room. Their silence in the room was heavy, and he climbed back up into his hospital bed. Sakura followed him into the room, greeting Kakashi and Tsunade with a nod.

The fifth Hokage finally spoke. "Sasuke, we have to discuss your future in the village." He didn't respond, simply met her eyes with his own.

Tsunade stood up slowly. "I'm so sorry to have to do this… but we've been ordered by the Daimyo to take you into custody. Effective immediately."

Everyone in the room gasped; even though they knew it was inevitable, they were shocked at how fast the Council had moved to apprehend Sasuke.

"M'lady… Sasuke has been severely injured and needs to rest. It's not safe for him to leave" Sakura pleaded with her mentor, trying even to buy him a few more days of freedom.

"He will have time and space to rest in prison. I'm sorry, I don't have a choice in the matter" She walked over to Sasuke and held out a hand to help him out of the bed. Without expression, Sasuke reached out and got out of the bed, with Tsunade leading him out the door, Kakashi following a beat behind. Sakura rose from her chair and watched them leave, still processing what had just happened. She reached in her pocket and held the small box Sasuke had given her earlier, eyeing over the beautiful jewels on the outside.

Tears began to well in her eyes, but she managed to push them away. After all, she knew this was coming. She just didn't know when.

"I'm so sorry Sakura… there's nothing we can do for him at the moment", Naruto finally said, breaking the silence. Sakura nodded, and climbed over to the bed where Sasuke had been laying in. Her hands continued fidgeting with the box, causing Naruto to take notice.

"What is that?" He asked curiously, noticing the jewels on the outside. Sakura turned the box to show the Uchiha emblem on the front of it.

"Sasuke took me to his old apartment today and gave this to me. It's his parents' wedding rings"

"WHAAAAAT?" Naruto almost jumped out of his bed. "HE ASKED YOU TO MARRY HIM?!" Sakura panicked and threw a glass of water at him that was on the bedside table. She was out of range of punching him and instead grabbed the closest thing she had to chuck in his direction.

"No, you idiot! He just wanted to make sure they were kept safe" Naruto sit there, uncomfortable and wet. Sakura sighed at the sight of him. "Sorry about that… let me change the bandages that got wet"

* * *

Sakura spent the rest of the day working in the hospital, caring for those who had returned from the battlefield. Most of the emergency work had already been taken care of, so none of her patients were in critical condition - making for a relatively stress-free rest of her day, all things considered.

At the end of her shift, she checked in with Naruto to say good night and then began to head home. On the way back was the apartment complex she had been at with Sasuke earlier. Sasuke had entrusted the property to her, and while her initial thoughts were that he simply wanted her to keep an eye on the place, she realized now that he had really wanted her to make it her own. It was unlikely he would be back soon, with even a chance that he may never return.

She decided that it wouldn't hurt to at least visit the place again. She went up the stairs to the fourth floor and counted the rooms, the third unit on the right. Number 406, she would have to remember that.

She entered the flat and turned on the lights. There wasn't much furniture, and there certainly wasn't any sign that someone had been living there, but it was still a beautiful space that she became more and more excited to call her own. She took off her sandals and gave herself another tour of the place.

When she entered the kitchen, she noticed a small packet of papers there that she hadn't seen before. She walked over to them and her eyes grew at the sight of the page on top.

"TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP", read the document. "PREVIOUS OWNER, UCHIHA SASUKE. NEW OWNER, HARUNO SAKURA" she said the words out loud. Her eyes skimmed the rest of the document, and noticed that it was dated today and stamped by the Hokage. Sasuke must have discussed this with Tsunade as she took him into custody. She flipped through the rest of the papers, but after seeing nothing important in particular, she set them down and wandered the rest of the apartment. A small smile covered her face as she considered how thoughtful that was of Sasuke.

Entering the bedroom once again, she saw again the beautiful, spacious balcony hovering just outside the large wall of windows. She slid the door open and took a step outside. It was dark, but she could tell there was a perfect view of the Hokage mountain.

 _Yes,_ she thought to herself. _I could get used to this…_

Her excitement was interrupted by thoughts of Sasuke, who was just outside the village in the maximum security prison. She thought of him, stuck in a dark, dirty cell by himself, not having any idea what lay ahead. She wandered back inside and plopped on the bed. It was extremely large and comfortable, and even though the sheets hadn't been touched in over three years, they were still soft and silky - better than what she had at home.

Still exhausted from the war, and everything else, she drifted off once again into a deep sleep.

* * *

A/N - Awww poor Sasuke ): Just in case anyone is confused, this is about 2 days after the war has ended, so Tsunade is still Hokage. As always, please review and let me know what you think! It really helps motivate me, I'm totally an amateur writer so I'd love to keep improving :)


	5. Mentally Unstable

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

The first week after Sasuke had been taken into custody felt like a year for Sakura. Maybe even two.

Since before she could even understand the concept of love, she had been completely infatuated with everything about him. It was rough at the beginning, when they had been put onto the same three-man team, but eventually their relationship had blossomed into a beautiful friendship. She was ok with that, because even if he didn't return her feelings, he would always mean a great deal to her.

Then, he left to fulfill his purpose. Was possessed by darkness. Then finally returned to her arms, only to be ripped away once again.

She had kept herself preoccupied with officially moving into her new apartment. There were a few things of Sasuke's left behind, which she placed in a simple plastic box in the back of the closet. Other things, like the furniture or pots and pans, she simply used as if they were her own. She could return it all to him once he was out, or maybe pay him for all of it.

At the end of her shift at the end of the week, she finally decided to make her way to the Hokage's office. Sakura had caught Tsunade on her way out.

"M'lady… do you have a moment?" Tsunade's eyes softened as she knew what had to be on Sakura's mind. She opened back the door to her office and motioned for her to come in, closing the door behind her.

"I know there are no visitors for the maximum security prison… is there any way… you could make an exception?" Sakura kept her eyes the ground, unsure if she was asking too much of her former mentor.

Tsunade shook her head and crossed her arms. "The Daimyo are not giving me much leeway here. I put the lives of Shinobi at risk for him, kept his name from the Bingo Book, and in return, he worked with the Akatsuki and killed the Hokage they had chosen, among his other crimes." She rested a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "I trust you and Naruto fully. If you believe in him, so do I. But I showed him too much leniency before, so I can't go against their wishes"

Tears began to well up in the medic's eyes. Tsunade pulled her student close and embraced her, letting Sakura's tears fall on her shirt.

"I do have one thing in mind for you. I don't want to get your hopes up, but I will try my best when I meet with the Council tomorrow." Sakura nodded and thanked her, and opened the door to leave.

"By the way… are you enjoying your new apartment?" Sakura remembered that the Hokage had stamped the property transfer papers. A soft smile came across her face and she nodded.

"It's a beautiful place. Thank you for having that arranged" She pushed the thoughts of why it was now hers out of her head. Sakura left the office, her eyes to the ground.

* * *

The next day, Tsunade entered the large meeting room to meet with the council regarding all post-war arrangements for the land of fire, including the future of none other than Sasuke Uchiha.

The first half of the meeting, they covered most of the damages, including a seemingly endless list of work for Yamato.

"Up next on the Agenda… Sasuke Uchiha" said one of the Council. He glared at Tsunade. "What is the status?"

"He has been apprehended and is currently in the maximum security prison. Eyes have been sealed and hands are secured. No visitors." The Hokage replied.

"Fantastic, then shall we move forward with the execution?" another member stated plainly.

Tsunade slapped her hands on the table and stood up. "Sasuke Uchiha will not be executed. We have him to thank for saving all of us during the war. Without him, none of us would be here today"

"This is standard procedure for a rogue ninja who murders a Hokage"

"Danzo was never Hokage!" Tsunade retorted fiercely.

"And what do you suggest we do?"

Tsunade picked up a large book that was placed in front of her. "This is one of the first law books from the leaf. Written while my grandfather was Hokage." She opened it up to a marked page and slid it into the middle of the table.

"It clearly states that the Hokage has the power to order a mental evaluation criminal IF they have reason to believe they were not in their right mind at the time." One of the members took the book and skimmed the page briefly.

"What will you accomplish with this? You've already tried to argue with us about him before. How can you expect us to believe that he is no longer a danger to our country?"

"I know that I cannot convince you to spare Sasuke" Tsunade fell softly back to her chair. "If we find the circumstances regarding his mental state to have been out of his control, he must be granted a trial. And you will hear from the one who can convince you".

A heavy silence fell over the room as the council members. There was some muttering between before Tsunade decided to continue.

"Performing the evaluation will be my top medic who I have trained personally, Sakura Haruno. She will have a complete report ready for you for our next meeting in two weeks."

Tsunade smirked slightly, to herself. She had played her cards right this time. The pensive nods of the Council members confirmed her winnings. They moved on to the next order of business, Sasuke's life spared for the time being.

* * *

Sakura sat at her desk organizing her files for the day. She hadn't finished finalizing everything yet, but no one would notice if she took a few things home with her instead of staying late. Even in the offices in the upper floor, there still lingered the slight discomfort one feels inside a hospital.

Files in one hand, her bag in the other, she stood up and rose to exit the room. She pulled open the door to see the Hokage standing there, seemly just about to come in.

"M'lady!" Sakura was surprised to see her here at this time of day. As far as Sakura could tell, Tsunade's usual schedule involved paperwork until around 8PM, then straight to a bar until bed.

"Was just coming to get you, Sakura. Let's get some dinner - I have something to discuss with you"

Sakura wasn't about to turn down a free meal, so she simply nodded and the two left on their way.

* * *

They arrived at a beautiful teahouse in a secluded part of Konaha. It was a very fancy, expensive place, and even more curiously, they didn't serve alcohol. Sakura instantly felt very suspicious at the gesture, sensing some sort of ulterior motive.

The two women were shown to a table in the far corner, and another waitress quickly brought them two bottles of warm sake.

"I thought they didn't serve alcohol here?" Sakura asked, confused.

Tsunade poured the sake for herself and Sakura. "They learned quickly to make an exception for their Hokage" The two laughed lightly and enjoyed their time together. It had been some time since their days training together, and they had plenty of catching up to take care of.

After they had finished their meals, Tsunade's expression turned serious. "Sakura, as I mentioned before, there's something I need to discuss with you. It's about Sasuke"

Sakura's eyes grew wider at the mention of his name. Her cheeks slightly flushed from alcohol, Tsunade chuckled at how innocent and adorable she looked. The Hokage composed her self and continued.

"The Council wanted him executed. I found a loophole, however, that guarantees a trial if we diagnose him as having been… out of his mind the last three years." She finished her small glass of sake and poured the rest of the bottle in the cup. "I need you to complete a thorough mental examination of Sasuke within the next two weeks. I'll need a full report drawn up that I can submit to the meeting then."

Sakura sat stiff, her eyes locked on the Hokage. After processing the information, she gulped and her eyes fell to the ground.

"I mean… Sasuke and I have a bit of a history, we've been friends. Isn't that a conflict of interest?" She asked. While having no qualms about spending time with Sasuke, this was going to be a very personal, intimate setting. She had no idea how he would feel about that.

Tsunade leaned back in her seat. "Hmm, well… I could ask Shizune-"

"NO! That's ok. I got it. I'll take care of it." Sakura interrupted. The Hokage nodded and stood up from the table.

"Alright Sakura. Your mission starts tomorrow. The bill is covered if you'd like to stay, I need to get some sleep" Sakura waved at her mentor and looked at the bottle of sake in front of her. She quickly finished it, and ordered another, since Tsunade had offered. Then another.

* * *

A/N Hope you all are enjoying! Thanks so much to all the new followers. I promise to keep things interesting as best as I can :)


	6. The Report

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Sakura awoke in her bed feeling incredibly dizzy, fighting off a massive headache. She started to walk over to the kitchen and grab some water, but found herself kneeling in front of the toilet instead.

She groaned and sat back on the bathroom floor. She remembered stumbling home last night… alone? No… someone had helped her. Ah, right… The Kazekage had been in town to visit Naruto and he, Temari, and Kankuro were at the teahouse as well. That was probably embarrassing.

Before that… eating with Tsunade. Catching up. And then… oh yes, being asked to evaluate the mental stability of the man she's been in love with for the last 10 years. That was why she drank herself to oblivion.

She continued to sit there, deep in thought, pondering over why this opportunity to spend the next two weeks next to Sasuke was freaking her out. Some of the memories she had of trying to help Sasuke before he left the leaf village came to mind.

When he was at the hospital, offering some fresh fruit to him: he, swatting it away. She, confessing her love for him and he: "you're annoying", before knocking her out and leaving the village.

Not to mention when they had met Sasuke after the Five Kage Summit. The thoughts of chidori coming at her from behind made her feel sick again.

She knew she couldn't face him like this, so she mustered up the strength to stand up, brush her teeth, and make herself some tea and a light breakfast.

As she began to feel better that morning, Sakura turned her thoughts in a more positive direction. When Sasuke had just gotten the curse mark, she remembered his hands intertwined with hers, fighting the pain. His body, oozing with dark power, calming down when she embraced him, asking him to stop. His "Thank You" that he gave her before he left the village. She hoped this was the Sasuke she would face today.

She showered and got ready, using her own medical ninjutsu to calm her raging headache, and began to make her way down to the prison.

* * *

As she entered, she was greeted by Ibiki. Tsunade had already alerted the staff that she would be arriving and work with Sasuke. A part of Sakura expected the busy woman to forget and cause a lot of strife trying to explain to Ibiki Moreno, head of the prison and interrogation, that she was there on official business.

He led her through the prison to the last cell, where Sasuke was being held. When she caught site of him, tears automatically welled up in her eyes: his arms tied back, his eyes covered and sealed, stuck in the darkness of the small cell. He had been here like this for about a week and a half, and seemingly would not be released any day soon. It was her duty to free him from this.

Ibiki handed her a small, round device with a button on it. "Please use this if you run into any trouble"

"It's okay, Ibiki, I wont need this" He paused at her insistance, but knowing that Sakura was a student of the stubborn Hokage, decided to let it be. Ibiki unlocked the cell and opened the door, Sasuke looking up at them. Sakura entered the cell and the door was closed behind her. She touched the cell gate to put up a small sound barrier, to keep the privacy in the small cell.

"Sasuke… I…" she had trouble finding the words to break the ice. She kept her space from him until she was able to better read the situation. A heavy silence fell over the room, finally broken by Sasuke.

"Why are you here Sakura? I was told there would be no visitors." He said plainly. Sakura felt a small pang in her heart at the dryness of his question. Couldn't he be a little happy that she was here?

"I'm not a visitor, Sasuke." she sighed and sat down on a small stool in the cell. "I've been ordered by Lady Tsunade to complete a report on you for trial."

"A report?"

"Yes… she said we need to complete a full psychiatric examination…." To prove you were mentally unstable during your crimes, she continued in her thoughts. "Sasuke, this is normally completed by someone you don't know personally, who you can feel anonymous with. If you'd like, we can try and find another doctor to take care of it."

Sasuke seemingly ignored her statement. "So the only way I'll get out of here is if you declare me insane?"

"No… if I declare that you were insane… and then, as evidenced by your actions in the war, have now returned from darkness and are of no threat to the village or anyone else"

Sasuke's covered glare turned downwards. The two sat in silence again.

"As I said, Sasuke, we can have someone else-"

"Its fine, Sakura" Sasuke cut her off. "Where do we begin?"

* * *

On that first day, Sakura focused on Sasuke's childhood. Sasuke described his relationship with his family, Sakura prying him to reveal smaller details such as his jealousy towards his brother for his father's affection, as well as his immense love for them.

Sakura watched in amazement as he recounted the times together with his brother, recalling specifically the forehead tap he used to show Sasuke affection. She hadn't realized the two were so close, and was certainly surprised at the positive way that he portrayed him.

"So… you were very close to Itachi, and loved him very deeply. That's why his betrayal affected you so much?" Sakura recounted.

"He didn't betray the leaf" Sasuke jabbed fiercely. Sakura raised an eyebrow at this.

"What about his actions was not a betrayal?" Sakura was sure to keep her tone flat, so as not to upset him further. Sasuke sat in silence for a moment, then looked back at her.

"We'll get to that" Sasuke said calmly, and she nodded, analyzing the information she had until the end of that day's session.

* * *

On the second day, Sakura focused on the massacre itself, as well as the specific events Sasuke noticed on the days leading up to the event. Sasuke had been remarkably calm during the session, although Sakura found herself sniffling as he vividly described those moments, like watching his parents die over and over again under Itachi's Tsukiyomi.

"Are doctors supposed to cry while working with a patient?" Sakura's head shot up and she turned bright red. She was thankful his eyes were covered.

"Well… it's just… Sasuke I've known you for a long time, and I've seen first hand how it affected you. I just never really knew what happened."

"There's no reason for anyone to shed tears over it anymore."

Sakura looked down at her notes from the session so far and realized that her page was blank. She had been so enamored with his story, that she hadn't written down any information or analysis. She did so at the end of the session in silence, bidding him farewell once her notes were thorough enough.

* * *

On the third day, Sakura focused on the events from directly after the massacre.

Sasuke told her the investigations conducted by the leaf, and all the questions they had asked him. The volunteers who had helped clear up the scene and move Sasuke into a new apartment.

"Is that your… my current home?" Sakura asked, and he nodded. "Does the place make you feel uncomfortable at all, bringing you back to that time?" He shook his head and continued.

* * *

Their fourth session led them to discuss their genin days. Sakura had prepared for this the entire day before, as she needed to keep the discussion as professional as possible.

"When we… when you and Naruto were fighting Haku, on the bridge, that was when you realized he was really your best friend?"

"I jumped in and protected him without even thinking… and almost died in the process. Had I died there, my goal to avenge my clan would have been over with"

"And that felt like a weakness for you?" Sasuke simply nodded in response, and they moved on.

They talked about the missions that they completed together and the bond that the three of them had built together, bringing them to the chunin exams.

"The seal that Orochimaru gave me… filled me with such power. Power that I needed to fulfill my goal, which was then inhibited by the bonds I shared."

"What do you mean by that?"

"When I was fighting the sound ninja… I could have killed them. But you… you stopped me" Sakura stared at him, wide eyed, processing the meaning of his fairly vague words.

"So… the bond you and I shared… was strong as well?" Sasuke nodded. Sakura blushed, thankful once again that his eyes were covered that moment.

* * *

On the fifth day, Sasuke waited up patiently for his usual session with Sakura, but she never came. Sakura had stayed at the hospital all day after an Anbu mission had gone wrong. Even Tsunade worked beside her, fighting to save the lives of three heavily injured and chakra depleted special ops. After a strenuous morning, there was finally a moment for Sakura to catch her breath.

She walked up to her office and locked the door behind her, sinking to the ground in a desperate attempt to relax. Her peace and quiet was quickly interrupted when she noticed the pile of papers on her desk from her work with Sasuke.

She got up and flipped through them. She hadn't let him know that she wouldn't be there today, and the thought crossed her mind that maybe he had missed her: she decided not to get her hopes up though.

She hesitated when she saw some of the notes she had taken the days before. "…to kill your best friend… bonds were a weakness… feeling overshadowed by Naruto's rapid acceleration…"

Sakura rested her head on her hand and mulled over the pas week. Sasuke had never been much of a talker, but they had had intense, deep conversations about his past the last few days. She had begun to understand him in ways that literally no one else had since he lost his family, and that brought a soft smile to her face.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Sakura rose to unlock the door, and opened it to find Ino there.

"Forehead, we need you back in the ER. One of the Anbu is coming to and needs help with the pain." Sakura nodded and left to continue helping the injured shinobi.

* * *

The next day was back to usual, as Sakura was free from her hospital duties to work with Sasuke.

"Thought you'd given up on me", Sasuke said to her, as she set up her usual sound barrier. She looked back at him to find the remnants of a tiny smirk on his face.

"Sorry about that Sasuke, some of the Anbu had run into trouble on their mission. I had to stay and operate to ensure they were stable" Sasuke replied with a simple "Hn" and they began the session.

"Alright Sasuke, so after you'd left the village, you were with Orochimaru. Tell me about your time there"

Sasuke recounted the majority of the 3 years he spent in the lair, training, summoning snakes, and how he spared the lives of his enemies when Orochimaru pushed him to kill.

"I didn't want to be like Itachi… I made sure not to take the life of a single soul while I was there."

Sakura nodded and made the note in her notebook. "Until you took down Orochimaru?"

"I wouldn't have done if I didn't have to. I became stronger than him and he was no longer of use to me in meeting my goal. And If I hadn't struck then, I would have lost my chance."

After that, Sasuke recounted the time when he formed the Taka (then, the Hebi), still focused on accomplishing his mission to take down his brother, Itachi Uchiha.

"So… what happened when you finally met with Itachi?"

"We fought… he convinced me that he was trying to take my eyes to attain the eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, as Madara Uchiha once did with his brother. I fought him until I had nothing left, and when I thought I was done for, he said to me "Forgive me, Sasuke… this will be the last time" and then he collapsed."

"So you had completed your goal, finally"

"So I had thought. I had passed out and was taken back to the Akatsuki hideout by the masked man. I saw him when I woke up, and… he told me everything"

"Told you everything?"

Sasuke leaned forward and hung his head down. "It's been a while already, this is probably a good place to stop"

"It's not a problem, Sasuke. I don't mind if you don't." Sakura said softly. "But if you're tired, I can-"

"Alright then. The masked man, Obito, told me everything about how the Hokage had ordered Itachi to murder the entire clan to prevent a coup that they had been planning"

Sakura jumped up in shock. "I… he… what?"

Sasuke looked at her and showed as much expression as he could through his covered eyes. He relayed the rest of the story to her, in as much detail as he knew.

"Itachi loved me and the the entire village the entire time. A memory that I had supressed came back to me, on the night of the massacre... he was... crying" Sasuke took a moment to catch his breath and calm himself down. "The village had forced him alone to bear all the hatred of the Uchiha clan. To be branded as a traitor. To work alongside the Akatsuki as a double agent once again, committing horrible acts with them. It's no wonder he became sick..." he trailed off and the two sat in silence once again. Sakura stared at her blank page for a while, hiding her tears with silence.

"So that's what caused you to target the leaf village?"

"Aa." Sakura wrote in her notes for what felt like an eternity, then put her pad and pencil on the ground. The medic walked over to Sasuke and sat next to him on the hard bed. Sasuke looked up at her, sensing her closeness but unable to see.

"Sasuke, I… I know that there had been a time… when we faced each other as enemies. I want you to know that I understand and I forgive you, and I hope that you forgive me as well" Sakura couldn't resist wrapping her arms around Sasuke in that moment. Although his arms were tied, he definitely made no attempt push her away.

"You have nothing to be sorry for" Sasuke said. He sat there in Sakura's embrace, and both pairs of eyes lightly welled up with tears. This time, Sasuke was thankful for his eye mask in that moment.

Sakura removed her arms from around him and sat back normally on the bed. Her thoughts circled infinitely after learning everything about what really happened to Sasuke's family. She couldn't imagine how he had felt, and certainly had a new understanding of the darkness in his eyes when he tried to end her life.

Without saying another word, Sakura rose from the bed and gathered her things. She unlocked and opened the cell door to leave. 'Goodnight Sasuke. I'll see you again tomorrow" Sasuke gave her a simple nod and she headed home.

* * *

The rest of the sessions they had went well, discussing when Sasuke had met Itachi again, to the discussion he had with the four Kage, up until the end of the war. Their last session was soon over, and Sakura had to leave him behind, unsure of the next time that they would see each other again.

"Sasuke, this village owes you a great deal for everything that has happened. I can't make any guarantees, but I will do everything in my power to keep you safe" She said, lowering the small sound barrier for the final time, exiting, and locking it behind her.

"Thank you, Sakura" Sasuke said softly. Sakura said nothing, simply watching him through the cell bars briefly before leaving the prison for the last time.

* * *

Sakura spent the next two days preparing her report, including as much information as she could without revealing the specific secrets of what had happened to the Uchiha clan. Once it was thoroughly reviewed and ready for the Daimyo meeting, she made her way to the Hokage's office.

"M'lady! The report is finished!" Sakura slammed the door wide open, to find Kakashi sitting in the Hokage's chair, and Tsunade lumping stacks of paper onto his desk. "Sensei, what are you doing here?"

"That's Lord Hokage, now" Tsunade said, with a huge grin on her face. "I've officially passed the position onto Kakashi. And if you'll excuse me, I believe it's time to celebrate" The former Hokage left the room, leaving a stunned Sakura in the doorway.

"Well, I guess it was inevitable, wasn't it?" The Sixth Hokage leaned back in his chair. "What can I help you with, Sakura?"

"Tsunade had me complete a full psychiatric examination on Sasuke for the council meeting with the Daimyo" Sakura approached the desk and set down the file she had brought with her. "I've completed it here"

Kakashi nodded it and took the file, flipping through it. "So… he told you everything, correct?"

"Yes… I've heard it all." Sakura wanted to add more, but at this point, still found herself speechless imagining what Sasuke had gone through.

"I see. Well, Tsunade and I had been discussing me becoming Hokage since after the war. She wanted to complete it before the meeting tomorrow for this reason"

"For what reason?"

"Tsunade had lost her credibility regarding Sasuke. On top of that, she actually doesn't know the details of his past as well. With my taking over, and now that you and Naruto have a complete understanding of everything he went through, I think we just might be able to pull this off"

Sakura smiled at her former sensei, now Hokage. She thanked him, and left the office with her heart full of hope for the man she truly loved now more than ever.

* * *

A/N: Phew, that was a long one. Hope you enjoyed! I had a lot of trouble picking specific moments for Sasuke and Sakura to discuss to make sure it didn't get too long and flashback-y, so if you feel like I left something important out, I'd like to hear! Thanks so much for all your favs and follows so far, it really helps motivate me to continue the story!


	7. The Idea

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

"Kakashi-sen-….-sama!" Sakura ran into Kakashi's office at full speed. He looked up from his papers at his former student, out of breath in his doorway.

"Sensei is fine, no need for formalities" Kakashi said, with a smile on his face she could only see in his eyes. "What's up?"

"Glad I could catch you before you left to the meeting" Sakura said between breaths. "I wanted to wish you good luck"

"Oh… I'll be heading out in about an hour. I've got a few minutes though, if you'd like to stay" Sakura sweat dropped. She had made one of the nurses come in an hour early so she could leave in time to see Kakashi off. She'd probably just keep that to herself.

"Oh, that was basically it, I had planned to meet the guys for lunch today after checking in with you. " Sakura thought for a second. "Actually, I do have a question though… who knew… about…" Sakura gestured to finish the question. Kakashi looked at her inquisitively, but then remembered their discussion about Sasuke the night before.

"Well, at the time, the Third, Danzo, and the village elders knew. And Obito… That's about it. As of now, myself, Yamato, Naruto, and you are the only ones who are aware."

' _Danzo…'_ Sakura thought to herself. She recalled Sasuke's vivid descriptions of why he felt that he needed to kill him, and the battle that they fought.

"Well, that's all. So, good luck again, please let me know how it goes or if there's anything I can do to help" Kakashi nodded in understanding and Sakura left the Hokage's office.

* * *

Sakura, Sai, and Naruto were finishing up their ramen at Ichiraku. Naruto slurped the remains of his ramen and slammed his cash down on the counter.

"I'm meeting with Hinata in a few minutes, so I gotta get going. Ramen's on me!" Naruto dashed off to leave his other two teammates alone together at the stand. Teuchi picked up the cash and counted it.

"Sorry you two… this is only enough for one of you" he said, laughing at Naruto's failed, albeit kind gesture.

"It's no problem Sakura, I'll cover it!" Sai said with his usual smile on his face. Sakura thanked him in response and the two continued their meal in a comfortable silence.

"Hey Sai… I've been wanting to ask you something" Sakura said, finishing up the ramen.

"What is it?"

"Well… I've been curious about Danzo. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind telling me more about him and your time in the Foundation" Sai's eyes widened, as he hadn't really confided in anyone about that time in his life. Naruto had gotten bits and pieces out of him before, but never exactly on purpose. He looked down at his empty bowl, left money for the remainder of their bill, and motioned to Sakura to follow him.

The two walked silently hand in hand until they reached an old, decrepit building in the outskirts of Konaha. Sai approached the door and opened it, Sakura close behind.

It was musty, old, and there were many pieces missing from the ceiling which appeared to have made a new home on the ground. The holes gave lighting to the bleak halls, though not significantly enough to make one feel comfortable.

"This is where we at the Foundation called home" Sai said, passing through the many rooms and corridors in the building. "The children that were trained here knew nothing but this place for many years."

Sakura felt extremely uncomfortable there, and shivered at the thought of spending one's entire childhood in such a place.

"In short, we were brainwashed. Our tongues were sealed to prevent us from speaking of Danzo, and we learned only to fight. Kill or be killed." Sai paused in a certain room, with almost a look of hurt in his eyes, though he didn't specify why.

"The children were all orphans, mostly war orphans, who were confused and lost after losing their families. Danzo knew no one would care if he took them. They… we… were all given a new name and identity.

"Even though we were taught to repress and eliminate all emotion, inevitably we would form bonds with each other over time. It was impossible not to - you grew up as brothers. Brothers who would one day be forced to kill one another."

Sakura's cheeks formed a small stream down the side of her face. Sasuke, Naruto, Sai… she felt the weight their pain and loneliness on her shoulders. She had such an easy life - but why? What had she done to deserve such privilege as compared to her beloved teammates?

Sai was unsure how to comfort her in the moment, and decided to keep his distance. "It's a shame, as I know there are many children after the end of this war who are vulnerable as well. Some of them may have seen difficult things, or lost loved ones. It's impossible to deal with that at a young age without any sort of training or help."

Sakura's head shot up at that. _'He's right… there are likely tons of orphans and children still severely affected by the war… vulnerable to darkness… like Sasuke… like Naruto… like Sai… and without help, they may succumb…'_

"Sai, thank you so much for sharing this with me. I've got to go do something" She dashed out of the room, hopefully finding her way out, leaving Sai alone to mull over his thoughts.

* * *

"Where are you dragging me to, forehead?!" Ino yelled, close in tow behind Sakura, who had grabbed the blonde's wrist and pulled her away from her lunch with her teammates.

"We're going to go see Lady Tsunade. Won't be long" Sakura said, looking back at her grouchy friend.

The two arrived at the bar and teahouse that Tsunade frequented, discovering her in a booth reading a book over a small bottle of sake.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, ladies?" the former Hokage looked at them, face slightly flushed from drinking. Sakura sat down in front of her, dragging Ino down with her into the booth.

"M'lady, I have an idea that I wanted to run by you" Sakura said, with her eyes wide with excitement.

"Shoot."

"There were many casualties in the war, leaving a lot of children orphaned or otherwise traumatized from the events that occurred." Sakura swallowed. "Since the hospital was rebuilt, the psych ward in the eastern side has barely been used. What if we turned that into a clinic to provide counseling for those children."

Tsunade was taken aback at Sakura's idea. She had already started drinking and had not expected to have to ponder anything else important for the day. "Go on"

"Well, in my work with Sasuke, I learned a lot about him before his family was killed - and how it changed him, and how he had virtually no one there to hold his hand - ultimately leading him to darkness. On top of that, think about what Naruto had suffered through. If it wasn't for Iruka-sensei having faith in him, who knows what direction he could have taken" Ino and Tsunade's eyes were wide, listening intently to the pink haired kunoichi.

"Lastly, today I talked with Sai about the Foundation, how Danzo took advantage of war orphans and brainwashed them… used them… if we can help these children now, we can save them from being taken advantage of, from being used, from being led into darkness. We can create a better future for them and the village as a whole"

The three ladies sat in silence and let the idea sink in. Several moments passed before Tsunade spoke.

"That's a brilliant idea, Sakura. I'll be officially taking over the hospital next week. We'll begin preparations then." Tsunade gestured to the waitress to bring another round of sake. "For now, let's celebrate"

Sakura, Ino, and Tsunade drank together, laughing and enjoying themselves for one of the first times since the war. Sakura put her hand in her pocket and held the small Uchiha-clad box in her hand.

' _This is for all of us, but most of all… this is for you, Sasuke'_

* * *

It was almost midnight when Sakura had a knock on her door. She groaned and got up from bed, throwing a robe over her night gown, exhausted from her early shift that day and mid-day drinking.

' _This better be important…'_

Sakura opened the door to find Naruto standing there, looking just as exhausted as she was.

"Hey Sakura… sorry to bother you, but Kakashi-sensei asked us to meet him at his office" Sakura gasped, as her celebration that day had gotten the council meeting off her mind, for the most part.

"Sure, just give me a sec" Sakura invited Naruto in and quickly got ready to leave.

"Wait… this was Teme's old place?" Sakura nodded, slipping on her shoes, as he wandered around the living room and kitchen area. "WHAT THE HELL! Why is this so much nicer than mine? The Third arranged my apartment too, and that place is a dump compared to this! Damn it, old gramps!"

Sakura giggled at Naruto's constant competitiveness, and they left the apartment to meet Kakashi.

* * *

They arrived to a building very dimly lit; it felt unwelcoming and strange to be there so late at night. They walked up to the office and walked in the room.

"You summoned us?" Naruto asked, sleepily. Sakura noticed how calm he was and wondered if there was a good reason why Kakashi waited until this late to meet with them.

"Yes, I wanted to talk to you about Sasuke"

Kakashi sat back in his chair, while Naruto and Sakura looked at each other, and then back at him. Sakura gulped, as Kakashi seemed… well, she couldn't tell. And that was enough to make her uncomfortable.

"Alright, well how did the meeting go today?" Sakura finally asked after a moment.

"The Council came on pretty strong about Sasuke. They didn't think he even deserved a trial, but I set them straight. The report you performed was perfect, Sakura. You provided a very clear analysis for them to understand the toil that those events took on him, and his own actions in the war as well we his compliance with the entire process thus far have shown that he's serious about returning to the village as a shinobi of the leaf once again. The trial will be held in one month."

Sakura and Naruto rejoiced at the news, embracing each other in excitement. This wasn't the end, by any means, but they were one step closer to helping their best friend become a free man once again. Kakashi smiled at seeing their happiness. With everything that had happened, he hadn't seen them smile like this in quite some time.

"You shouldn't need to prepare too much. Naruto, you especially have a knack for turning people in the right direction. I expect you to bring your A-game, and in one month… we'll do everything we can to set Sasuke free."

* * *

Sakura found herself back in bed, but instead of drifting off to sleep as she was earlier that night, her eyes were wide open, and a smile on her face. She rolled around and cuddled on what were once Sasuke's sheets, letting out a small squee to no one in particular. Even though Kakashi hadn't given them any solid confirmation, Sakura had a gut feeling that as long as Sasuke would be provided a fair trial, he would be released from custody.

If Naruto could talk down Nagato, he could talk down some rich, old, politicians.

She rolled over and reached to the night stand opened it. Inside was the small box.

Sakura had been keeping it with her everywhere securely with her ninja tools. Sasuke had been so sincere when he entrusted it to her that it made her feel better if she had it with her at all times.

She opened it up to see the two rings. She looked around, checking for no one in particular, and tried on the ring that was formerly Sasuke's mother's. It fit her finger perfectly.

His father's ring appeared to be fairly large. She wondered if Sasuke's hands would even fit it: she couldn't quite remember his hands in detail.

With a warm smile, she put the rings back in the box and into the nightstand. She could continue her thoughts in her dreams, instead.

* * *

A/N: So this felt a little bit like a filler chapter, but I thought it fit in well to discuss events that happen in the blank period without much explanation. Hope you enjoyed, and thanks so much for the reviews, favs, and follows so far. I'm a total amateur so it makes me super happy that even a few people enjoyed ^^


	8. Trial

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

The sixth Hokage, followed closely by Naruto and Sakura as well as some ANBU black ops, traveled to the hall used as a courtroom by the council. It was a few hours' journey away, so the group ran at full speed to get there on time. The journey felt much longer than it was, and not many words were said.

After about a month since the last time Sakura had seen Sasuke face to face, his trial was finally taking place. She had never attended such a trial before, and had no idea what to expect. She did know, however, that she had to be on her guard and calculate every word she said - she had an entire speech prepared already in case she would be called upon to testify on his behalf.

Sakura looked at Naruto. His face was calm but strong, and she wondered what was going through his head now. She hoped deeply that he wouldn't spurt anything out that could somehow be used against him.

When they arrived at the hall, the three entered without saying a word. Sasuke was there, closely watched and guarded by Ibiki and two other members of the prison staff. His eyes still covered by the same sealing cover as they were when she was working on his report, and his lone arm still bound behind his back. She wondered if he'd even be able to move if they let him go after being locked in that position for so long.

Within about an hour, the rest of the room filled up with the council members and their guard; the trial began without delay.

"We are here today to discuss the future of Uchiha Sasuke. Uchiha is charged with the following crimes: Murder of the Hokage, attempted kidnapping of Killer Bee of the Hidden Cloud village, conspiring with the terrorist organization, the Akatsuki, conspiring to destroy the Leaf Village, and lastly, deserting the leaf village."

The room fell silent at the hefty charges. This would be no simple task.

"Speaking in defense of Uchiha first will be the Sixth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, Hatake Kakashi."

Kakashi rose up and walked over to the front of the room. He took his step behind the podium and looked at Sasuke, and took a deep breath.

"Sasuke was -"

Two words into his speech, a huge explosion on the northern side of the building sent everyone in the room flying back. As the dust settled, there were 5 figures standing in the smoke.

"SEALING SPEAR JUTSU!" One of them appeared to throw something into the room, though nothing was seen. Suddenly, Naruto cringed in pain as the invisible projectile seemingly stuck him, and Sakura ran over to him.

"Are you okay, Naruto?"

"Yeah I'm fine… lets get this over with. Kurama, sync with me!" Naruto stood up, but the orange chakra did not envelop him. He looked down at his hands and saw a black symbol on them. He crossed his fingers to create shadow clones, but nothing happened.

"We've sealed your chakra, fox. And now we've come to take revenge for killing our god!" The smoke finally cleared to reveal ninja from the Hidden Rain Village. After Pain had been defeated, many of those who worshipped him as a god were left confused and lost - some of them, apparently, sought revenge. Kakashi, Sakura, and the rest of the guard ninja there readied themselves for battle.

"We're not here to fight - we're here to take you down! This is what happens when the Land of Fire continues to meddle in the affairs of The Hidden Rain!" Before anyone could react, the 5 ninja disappeared and a gigantic explosion went off. Sakura covered her head as the entire earth shook around her. The sound was unbearable, causing a great ringing within everyone's ears. Sakura opened her eyes slowly once the explosion subsided to see a deep purple covering the entire room. Naruto, Kakashi and the others in the room began opening their eyes to the same realization: Sasuke's Susano'o had protected everyone from the explosion that had completely demolished the entire hall.

Naruto thought quick and closed his eyes to collect nature energy. He couldn't use his own chakra at the moment, but he could use energy that wasn't his own. Kakashi sent his ANBU guard after the ninja immediately, and Sakura began to check the council members for any injuries they may have sustained. Everyone in the room seemed to be ok, and the purple chakra faded away.

"Sasuke… how did you…" Sakura walked over to him as well, using the excuse of checking on his condition to speak with him. Ibiki overheard and walked over to the two. "Yes, Sasuke, please explain", he added, with a terrifying undertone.

"The seal didn't prevent me from using Susano'o. Should I have let you all die instead?" He said dryly, towards Ibiki. The head of the prison scowled at Sasuke's sass, huffed, and left to investigate the explosion. Kakashi finally got their attention.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura. My ANBU have already contacted me and there appears to have been more ninja than those five not far from here. What do you say we show them what happens when _they_ meddle in the affairs of the Land of Fire?"

Sakura smiled, and ripped off Sasuke's arm restraint and undid the sealing cover from his eyes. He grimaced when he opened them, after being in dark for over a month, but quickly adjusted and rose to the challenge. Naruto opened his eyes finally, revealing his successful entrance into Sage Mode. Sasuke and Naruto made eye contact and smiled at each other.

"Let's go!" They said in unison.

* * *

Team Seven followed Naruto's lead. He reported sensing almost 100 of the rogue ninja, all congregated in a single area. The ANBU had decided to stay back until they had arrived, waiting at a strategic vantage point in a tree above and behind their enemies. The team ran up the trees to meet them there, a smirk on Naruto's and Sasuke's face as remembered their time running up trees in the Land of Waves.

The three of them looked through the clearing at the group of ninja. A single ninja stood in front of the main group, giving some sort of address or instruction; they were fairly far away so as not to be detected, so they couldn't hear anything. They figured they were probably bragging about having taken out Naruto and all the politicians in the Land of Fire. Unluckily for them, they hadn't.

"Alright Sasuke - "

"Got it - And Sakura"

"I'm on it"

The three ninja charged in together for the first time since the fourth great ninja war, reading each others' minds to develop the perfect strategy for taking them down. The Rain ninja noticed them quickly, but it was still too late.

Sakura jumped directly in the middle of all the ninja, shattering the ground with such force, that a huge crater was created in the ground, filled with the ninja in the vicinity and soon after, fallen trees. Sasuke and Naruto waited until all attention was on Sakura, and dashed around the perimeter of the ninja.

Those on the perimeter quickly began to fall and fly inwards, and soon ninja towards the center began to do the same. Naruto and Sasuke had completely rounded up the entire group of ninja in an instant with a simple thread, leaving them all stuck together within the crater that Sakura created just moments before. Sakura weaved some hand signs and created a light barrier above the pile of ninja, who lay unconscious or in shock of the three ninja that had taken them all down in a matter of seconds.

Naruto approached the crater. "I don't know which one of you is the leader, but you should know that Pain - your god - sacrificed himself for peace among the Shinobi world. You'd do yourself a favor to follow in his footsteps. This… this is not what he would have wanted"

The three teammatest smiled at each other, enjoying their first mission together in over three years. Their strategy was simple, yet effective, and they were all connected as if they hadn't been apart for a moment. Kakashi jumped up behind them, almost blushing out of embarrassment for having nothing to do with the feat. _'These guys are truly the new Sannin…'_

"The ANBU will take care of them. Let's head back to the hall," their former sensei said.

The three nodded and traveled leisurely back to the hall.

* * *

The team arrived back at the remnants of the courthouse building. Immediately, one of the council members began to approach Sasuke, with the eye seal in hand, but Kakashi stopped him. "That won't be necessary" he said, plainly. Sasuke's eyes met the ground and a smile tugged gently at his lips.

The rest of the trial continued, with full testimony from Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura. The council, who were once proving themselves to be difficult to convince, displayed no resistance to the testimony after Sasuke's actions that day.

"The council has declared that Uchiha Sasuke will not be executed and will be pardoned of his crimes against The Hidden Leaf"

Naruto and Sakura both jumped up and enveloped their teammate in a huge hug. "You guys… get off me… Can't breathe…" Sasuke managed to spurt out, leaving the two embarrassed at their action as they let him go and catch his breath.

Sakura went in for another hug on her own, unable to resist her own happiness in the moment. Sasuke's eyes widened, as he felt the tenderness in her gesture. His lone arm twitched, as he became tempted to embrace her back, but with so many people there, decided against it.

Kakashi walked over and reached out his arm to help him up out of his seat. "Alright, Sasuke. As Hokage, I officially approve your release." Sasuke's hand met with Kakashi's and they all stood up, ready to be a team once again.

"Let's go home"

* * *

When they reached the village gates, Sasuke stopped in his tracks. Sakura turned around and watched his gaze fall over the large An gates, Naruto and Kakashi stopping a moment after.

"Everything alright?" She asked, sensing a minor discomfort.

"I'll have to find somewhere to stay tonight" he said, plainly. He didn't have a home in Konaha anymore, as he had passed on his apartment to Sakura, expecting that he would be cast out from the village, or at least locked away for much longer than he was. The medic ninja smiled at his politeness: he didn't want to impose on her, even if it was still his home.

"You're welcome to stay at my - your old place. I can stay with my parents for the night!" Sakura smiled at him brightly. "Trust me, I don't mind at all! I just need to grab my things for overnight". Sasuke nodded and continued into the village. In the city center, they said goodbye to Naruto and Kakashi and walked together to Sasuke's old - and Sakura's new - apartment.

They entered the building together and went up the steps, Sakura leading the way and unlocking the door. Sasuke looked around at what she had done with the place - it looked wonderful. It was cozy, smelled fresh and clean, and felt like home right when one entered. A small weight felt as if it had been lifted from his shoulders as he saw how well the space had been cared for while he was gone - even if it was only barely over a month.

Sakura broke the silence. "There's plenty of food in here, if you like I can make us a dinner! And a tea, maybe?" Sasuke nodded and sat down quietly at the table, still scanning the space and letting all of the new decor sink in.

He eyed the small table where he had previously kept the small Uchiha box, and walked over to it. He opened the drawer, not fully surprised to find the box not in there.

"Sakura, where do you keep the box I gave you?" He asked her. She rinsed off her hands and motioned for him to follow her in the bedroom. She unlocked the drawer in the nightstand next to the bed, opened it up and handed him the box. Sasuke thanked her and they moved back to the living room. The last Uchiha sat back at his spot on the dining table, and opened the box to check on the rings inside and play with them gently in his hands.

Sakura finished cooking them dinner and a fresh hot tea. Sasuke ate slow and silently, savoring the first home cooked meal he had had since the arrest or longer, loudly slurping the hot tea that was just a little too hot to drink. Sakura watched him out of the corner of her eye, noticing his content with the situation, and smiled to herself. The two finished their meal in a warm, comfortable silence.

"Alright, well I'll just grab my things and head back to my parent's house." Sasuke watched Sakura wash and put away the dishes, and dry her hands off when she finished.

"Actually -" Sasuke began, eyes fairly low to the ground.

"Hm?"

"- I wouldn't mind the company. I'll be up for a while longer, if you want to stay"

Sakura felt her cheeks glow at the invitation. Was this the first time Sasuke had invited her to do anything? She grinned and nodded in response.

"I actually got some nice furniture for the patio - would you like to get some fresh air?" Sasuke nodded and the two sat in the balcony, with a new fresh tea in hand that Sakura had prepared. The last time they had interacted, Sasuke had - well, been forced to pour his heart out to her and tell her everything that made him the person he is and once was. The pink haired kunoichi knew everything about him and presented no judgements: there was definitely a comfort in that, knowing that there was no barrier or wall between them as there had always been before.

The former avenger sat back in the comfortable chairs that Sakura had purchased and silently listened along as Sakura told him about the village rebuilding efforts, and how poor Yamato had been overworked building new buildings, and her dealings in the hospital.

Before they knew it hours had passed and the two still sat there, deep in long overdue conversation. As the sun set and the moon rose in full, silence had fallen over them. Exhausted from the travels and battles of the day, the two nodded off to sleep on the balcony.

A short while later, Sasuke opened his eyes, seeing Sakura in an uncomfortable position on the chair. He woke himself up enough to get up and summoned a left arm with his Susano'o to pick her up and put her in the large bed.

Sasuke sat down on the other side of the bed to check on the small Uchiha box once again. After everything that had happened, the small remnant of his family finally brought back feelings of love and happiness instead of hurt and vengeance. A few moments later, he rose up to go to bed on the couch but felt a small tug on his shirt.

"Sasuke…" Sakura, most likely still asleep, had noticed that he sat down and seemed to want him to stay.

Sasuke blushed lightly, unsure of what he should do. He wasn't dense or stupid - he knew that she was always in love with him and her love didn't seem to have faltered based on her actions since the war. He was finally in a place where he could at least begin to understand normal love and consider having love of his own, but all of that was still a ways down the path of healing. At this point, he wasn't even sure if he was capable of love: the last thing he wanted to do was instill any false hope in Sakura.

However, tonight, he was tired. He took off his shirt and climbed into bed next to Sakura, falling asleep almost instantly - with a tear in his eye.

* * *

A/N: Not done yet ;) I have some ideas to keep it going. Thanks so much for all the reviews, comments, and favs so far!


	9. Goodbye, Hello

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Sakura woke feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. She sat up in her bed, reflecting on the wonderful dream she had had: she and Sasuke, fast asleep next to another on the bed. She smiled to herself at the thought and looked over the other side of the bed. Sakura noticed a small paper on the pillow and picked it up.

 _"Hokage's Office"_ it read.

Sakura jolted up, realizing that the prior night was not a dream. That was Sasuke's writing, left on the other side of the bed - his side of the bed. He had really slept next to her, and had simply left earlier that morning. She flopped onto the pillow where he had slept, taking in the faint remnants of his scent.

After a few moments, she got out of bed and walked in the kitchen, finding a plate wrapped up with breakfast for her. Her smile grew larger as she found it was still warm - he couldn't have left too long ago.

After having breakfast and getting ready, she walked over to the small end table where she kept the Uchiha box. She picked it up and opened up to check on Sasuke's precious treasure, and her heart skipped a beat when she found his father's ring missing. In its place, another small piece of paper crumbled up.

 _"S"_ was all that was written. Sasuke really was a man of few words, though she was thankful for his note. Sakura sighed, put the small box in her bag and headed out to meet Sasuke with Kakashi in his office.

When she arrived at the old building, she saw the two men just leaving the office. She waved and ran towards them; Kakashi motioned for Sakura to follow. The sixth Hokage took the lead, with the two former teammates trailing not far behind.

"Sakura… thank you for last night" Sasuke said softly, eyes on the ground. Sakura felt her face flush yet again, and looked away.

"Of course Sasuke… you're more than welcome to stay as long as you need to. My door is always open!" He looked up at her shyly and nodded.

"Unfortunately, I'll be leaving today. I'm not sure when I'll be back" Sasuke moved his eyes back to the ground.

"You're… leaving? But… you just got back" Sakura said, sadness radiating through her voice.

"It's just… something I need to do." He raised his lone hand held it out to show her his father's ring. "I'd like to bring this with me. Please take care of the other for me"

Sakura nodded, admiring the beautiful piece of jewelry and the two continued in silence, following Kakashi until they reached the An gates of Konaha.

"I'll be blunt. By rights, you should still be in prison now, or worse. But, we have heard your plea and all your actions up to now have been pardoned. Breaking the Infinite Tsukiyomi and your actions in the trial played a big part in that decision. As well as the fact that I happened to become the Sixth Hokage, and that Naruto testified on your behalf. Don't forget that. And please don't get too reckless - otherwise I'll be held responsible." Kakashi spoke directly, and in a manner that reminded Sasuke of the times when they were genin. Better times - simpler times.

"Understood. Thank you" Sasuke nodded lightly to him.

"Must you go? The artificial arm that Tsunade is creating from Hashirama's cells will soon…" Sakura pleaded, but was interrupted.

"I need time to understand my feelings. How I should view the shinobi world, this world. Perhaps I'll be able to see things I couldn't see before. Things that can't be seen unless I do this. Also… there's something I'm worried about."

Sakura took a deep breath, and blushed lightly, eyes shifting to the side. "What if I said… I'd go with you?"

"This is a trip to atone for my sins. My sins have nothing to do with you."

Sakura gasped, shocked at his blunt words and hung her head down. "Nothing to do with me….?"

Suddenly she saw him approach her, and when she looked up, he flicked her forehead.

"Maybe next time. Thank you" he said simply, and turned to leave the village.

Sakura stood in awe of the gesture. She remembered everything he had told her about his family - about Itachi. He emphasized to her how he would always tap his forehead as a sign of affection, and that it was even one of the last things he did to Sasuke before he died. She smiled to herself, still blushing, and watched beside her former sensei as he disappeared into the horizon.

"Seems surreal, doesn't it?" Kakashi said, once Sasuke was out of sight. Sakura looked over at him and smiled, nodding slightly.

"He'll be back. He definitely needs some time, but don't give up on him." the Hokage continued.

"I don't think I could even if I wanted to…" the two shared a small laugh together and then walked back into the village, in the opposite direction of Sasuke. Just like Kakashi said, he would be back.

Sakura pulled out the small Uchiha box and opened it up again to marvel at the single piece of jewelry inside. Kakashi looked over and his eyes shot open.

"Wait - he gave that to you already?" he asked, seemingly surprised at the sight of the box.

"Already…? He entrusted it to me after the war. I'm keeping it safe for him" Sakura answered, not breaking eye contact with the beautiful diamonds and rubies making up the Uchiha crest on the box.

Kakashi let out a deep breath, seemingly in relief. "Oh! Yes, of course" he said, far more suspiciously than he should have. Sakura luckily paid him no attention; her thoughts solely on the man who she loved more than anyone else in the world. The man who rejected her time and time again, who became her teammate, who saved her when she was in trouble, who descended into darkness, who she tried to kill, who tried to kill her… who was now on a journey to find himself. Kakashi was right - he would be back. All she needed to do now was wait.

* * *

Sasuke was gone for almost three years. The years were long, and a lot had happened in that time. Naruto had married Hinata, and others from the Konaha 11 had similar plans in the near future. Sakura had begun the children's clinic in honor of her dear teammates, and expanded the clinic to the Sand Village after its immense success. Numerous missions had passed, including saving the Land of Fire from rogue ninja, from a Sharingan drug, from exploding humans…

It was a warm, beautiful summer night in Konaha. Sakura and Naruto sat at Ichiraku long past midnight, as Naruto had finally convinced Teuchi to keep the stand open all night long.

"Thanks for treating me to ramen tonight, Naruto. You were right - I definitely needed it!" Sakura slurped the rest of her ramen down and sat back in her stool, stuffed with the best meal Konaha had to offer.

"No problem, Sakura! I'm not used to eating on my own anymore, so it's great to have some company while Hinata is away!" Naruto replied, slurping down his third bowl. Sakura smiled at him, as seeing him happy together with Hinata always made her heart soar with happiness. If anyone in the world deserved it, it was Naruto.

"Well I should get going. Next time is on me!" She said, said goodbye and walked herself home. Seeing all of her best friends getting married made it tougher sometimes to get through the nights. Sasuke wrote to her occasionally, letting her know where he was, but never saying much else.

She had countless offers for dates from hospital patients, teammates on missions, and more, but she could never bring herself to do it. No matter what she did, her heart continued to belong to the wandering Uchiha.

Sakura reached into her bag to grab her keys as she approached the apartment building. When she looked up, she saw a cloaked figure standing there by the door. She glared in the direction, building chakra in her fist in case they would cause her any trouble.

As she came closer she realized that she recognized the person: it was none other than the Sasuke Uchiha. She put her keys away and clenched her fists in fury, stomping towards him quickly.

"Damn it Naruto! Is this why you took me out to dinner? Do you think this is funny?! Shannaarrooo!"

Just as she was about to land a punch, the man grabbed her wrist and stared deep into her eyes.

"Hm… You still are annoying" he said simply. Sakura paused for a long moment, dropped her arm and embraced him in suffocating hug. It wasn't a prank - it was really him. She was sure of it.

Sasuke pushed her left arm away from the embrace with his right. Before Sakura's heart began to break, he lifted his arm out of his cloak and held her in the same manner that she held him. The two stood there together in silence for what felt like an eternity.

Sakura was the one to break away first. "Sorry, it's just... getting a little chilly" she said, a little embarrassed to be the one to end the moment. She fumbled around in her bag to find her keys once again, and let them both into the apartment building, then up to her flat.

She turned on the lights and motioned for him to come in, although he simply stood in front of the entrance, keeping his shoes on. Sakura questioned the gesture, but quickly realized that he wasn't planning on staying.

"Sakura, I'm sorry… I know it's late, but i need to speak with you" Sakura nodded and stood in the small entryway after taking her own shoes off and flipping on the lights.

"There've been report of children falling seriously ill to the North, near the Village Hidden in the Grass. One family I spoke with let me examine their daughter… there was nothing I could do with my powers for her, so the cause must be disease or poison" Bright green eyes widened at this information. She hadn't heard of this before, so the problem must have begun very recently. And, due to the fact that Sasuke stood before her, it must have been extremely urgent.

"Sakura, I need you to come with me… to put an end to this"

Sakura gasped at the invitation. She remembered the last thing he had said to her: _"Maybe next time…"_ It wasn't that she didn't believe him, it was just that she certainly hadn't expected him to arrive at her doorstep asking her to come with him.

"I'll get my things together and check in at the hospital. You're welcome to stay here for the night, and we can leave first thing in the morning"

"No, we need to leave immediately." Sasuke said, showing deep concern in his eyes that Sakura had never seen before. "I don't know how much time they have"

Sasuke waited patiently for Sakura to gather her things. She sat on the bed with her bag and held the small Uchiha box in her hands, debating weather she should bring it. After a brief internal dialogue, she decided she would feel best if she had the box with her and placed it in a small pocket on the inside of her travel bag.

Once she had everything ready, she turned out all the lights and her and Sasuke left the flat, locking the door behind her.

"Alright, I'm ready. Let's go" Sasuke nodded and the two left the building, silently dashing through the village and through the gates on their first mission together.

* * *

A/N: You might have remembered a lot of this from the episode in Naruto Shippuden. I started the fic with the exact events from the show and wanted to wrap up the story with the exact events as well! But I love SasuSaku, so didn't want to end there. Stay tuned for Sasuke's and Sakura's mission away together! As always, thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites. It helps me sit down every week and get to work on this. I hope you guys are having as much fun reading as I am writing :)


	10. Rest

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura ran through the forest through the early hours of the morning, a few hours into their journey to the destination. As the sun began to rise, Sakura felt her eyes growing heavier and heavier after skipping the night's sleep.

Hopping through the trees, the leaves and branches slowly started to become a blur to her. Her foot slipped on a mossy branch and she slipped, feet first into the air. Sasuke heard a small yell and looked back to find her suspended in mid-air; he sighed at her clumsiness.

" _Amenotejikara"_

Sasuke activated his Rinnegan and switched places with Sakura's backpack. He was instantly behind her, his lone arm wrapped around her body, pushing her into position to land gracefully. Sakura took a moment to compose herself and blushed at the moment of closeness between the two of them.

"There's a town about 20 minutes up. We can rest there for a few hours and then continue on. You won't be much help if you're half asleep when we get there"

Sakura smiled in embarrassment, when she jolted upward to see her backpack stuck on a branch up in the trees. She ran up the tree and grabbed her bag, checking for all the contents inside, before hopping down. They nodded at one another and continued on to the next town.

* * *

"We'll take two rooms for the night" Sasuke said without greeting at the small inn they arrived at. Sakura looked up, slightly disappointed that the thought hadn't seemed to even cross his mind to share a room. She smiled to herself, with an almost disappointment in herself for expecting that.

"We're sorry sir, there's a small meeting in town this week for local priests. We've only one room left - our honeymoon suite. It's certainly lovely though, it has a large bedroom and separate lounge area. Even includes a private bath area!" the old woman working at the counter winked at the two of them.

Sakura pushed back at the rising blush on her face and turned to Sasuke. "Will that be alright for you?" The woman asked.

Sasuke chose not to make eye contact with Sakura. "That is acceptable" he simply said, and paid for the room. The woman there took the money and prepared the key to the room, directing them to the room at the end of the hallway.

The two of them walked over to the last room in the Inn. Sasuke unlocked the door and motioned for Sakura to enter. She took a step in and was in awe at the beautiful accommodation: there was a huge living room with small kitchen, high ceilings and modern indirect lighting all around, drawing attention to the unique artwork lining the walls.

"This place is beautiful Sasuke... how much is my share of the room?" Sakura asked after taking off her shoes and setting down her bag.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura. It's part of your mission payment" Sasuke shot her a look, almost a smile on his face, and went into the restroom.

Sakura simply smiled and gave herself a tour of the place. Walking into the bedroom, she instantly noticed the sliding door to the outside. She ran to it and saw the very small patio area with a natural hot spring bath, completely surrounded by trees and shrubbery to keep it private and intimate. She beamed at the thought of sharing the space with Sasuke, but kept herself grounded in reality. She heard Sasuke turn on the shower in the bathroom, and returned to the living room area to organize her things.

She noticed Sasuke's bag next to her own and in her exhaustion found herself giggling at the thought of the contents. What underwear did he wear? Tighty-Whighties? Briefs?

The door to the bathroom soon opened and Sakura looked up to see Sasuke in nothing but his towel. Her eyes grew as she eyed his gorgeous figure, standing in front of her.

"Hurry and wash up." he said plainly, to which Sakura nodded and grabbed herself a clean set of clothes, refusing eye contact as she went into the bathroom for a quick shower.

When Sakura was finished showering, she wrapped herself in a towel and peeked her head out of the bathroom door. She had her clean clothes with her in the bathroom, but...

She walked out into the living room area, curious as to where her teammate was. Following into the bedroom, she noticed the sliding door was open; Sasuke was sitting in the bath, towel sloppily dropped in the doorway. Her face flushed red and she quickly pivoted to leave the room. She lost her balance and instinctively grabbed onto the small dresser for balance, making a bit of a sound. Sasuke turned in her direction from the bath.

"Sakura." he said, calling her over to him. As always, a man of few words.

 _'Damn it... Blew my cover... Shanaroo...'_ Sakura cursed to herself, as she walked towards the bath.

"What is it Sasuke?"

"If you're still awake, please relax."

Sakura sweat dropped and waved her free hand. "Oh, it's alright Sasuke. I don't... I won't..." There was no way she would be able to relax sitting in such close proximity to Sasuke. Naked.

Sasuke looked back at her and nodded, apparently understanding her discomfort, though showing a minor disappointment at her reaction. The two had barely talked since he visited her late at night to sweep her away for this emergency mission. The time before, the two had enjoyed each other's company, falling asleep at each other's side; and the time before that, the court mandated he pour his heart out to her.

"I'd like to discuss our mission. Please make yourself comfortable." Sasuke said, looking straight ahead as if he was talking to himself.

Sakura, still wrapped in her towel, looked down at herself. She was running on the small burst of energy granted by a hot shower, but knew she didn't have too long before her body shut down. She stepped over to the bath, sitting down on the edge to soak her legs, opting to keep herself covered.

Sasuke continued to avoid direct eye contact with her and jumped straight in. "We have a few hours of travel left tomorrow. The village is very small, mostly farmers and doctors from the medical academy nearby.

"Children under about 10 years old have been targeted by the ailment specifically. They're running a dangerously high fever, with patches of skin turning black on their arms and legs. They become weaker and weaker, until...

"Some miraculously recover, but most don't make it. I spoke with the local leader of their small police force, whose daughter came down with this sickness"

Sakura shivered. There was never a time that innocent children deserved such a fate.

"So the doctors there can't figure it out?" Sakura asked, and Sasuke nodded. "Do they suspect foul play?"

"The police chief seemed to think so, but it was just his gut feeling."

Sakura nodded and mulled over the symptoms for a second. _'Fever... Black rashes... '_

"The black rashes could be some sort of bruising, or blood blister maybe. Or perhaps something else related directly with the blood..." Sakura mumbled to herself, Sasuke finally watching her get to work on the case.

After a few minutes of silence, Sasuke finally looked away, and let out a big sigh.

"Is everything alright, Sasuke?" Sakura asked after some time.

"It's fine. Let's just get some rest. You can take the bedroom." Sakura took the cue to look away momentarily while Sasuke got out of the bath and wrapped himself in his towel. She got up and followed suit, grabbing her clothes and things in the bedroom to finally get some sleep in the early morning hours.

She changed into her sleep clothes, sinking into the bed. Despite her exhaustion, her mind ran in circles, continuing to keep her awake for the time being. She thought once again back to their interactions before Sasuke left the village - he had finally opened up to her and broken down all the walls between them. And it seemed, during his time away, new ones were built in their places.

She took a deep breath and sighed. The sun was already rising outside after their travels thus far, and tomorrow she had to be alert and ready to try and save these kids' lives. She could worry about Sasuke another time.

"Goodnight Sasuke" She said, loudly as to pierce through to the other room for him to hear if he happened to still be awake.

"Goodnight, Sakura" She heard back in reply, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Hey all! Sorry for the delay in update - Just finished my finals yesterday, yay! Thank you all for your follows and favs thus far, I hope you continue to enjoy the story :) Please leave a review to let me know what you think so far!


	11. Salad

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

The morning came quickly. Sakura felt something hit her face as she pried her eyes open. As her vision focused, she picked up her shirt and realized Sasuke had just lobbed it over at her.

"Get dressed, it's time to go." Sasuke said. Sakura sat up and took a moment to process the situation, still woozy from waking up, and Sasuke tossed the rest of her clothes at her. She had apparently forgotten her clothes in the bathroom last night.

"I'll go check us out of the Inn. There's some breakfast ready on the counter. Meet me outside in 15 minutes."

Sakura rubbed her eyes and climbed out of bed, exchanging her sleep clothes for her mission outfit. She blushed slightly when she realized Sasuke had seen and touched her bra as well, but decided to think nothing of it and focus on her mission for the day.

She got her things together and quickly ate the small meal that Sasuke had prepared for her. She scouted the area for anything left behind, double checked for her valuables, and left to start their journey.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura traveled for about four hours before they got close to the village. Sasuke sped up as he began to recognize the areas on their path, the medic almost struggling to keep up.

"We're almost there."

Sasuke looked back at Sakura, and made eye contact for a brief moment - concern and worry radiated through, that she felt it instantly. Sakura swallowed hard and pressed on, as the pressure built on her to help these children.

A small gate surrounded the village, though it was nothing compared the An gates of Konaha.

As they approached the gate, the man standing watch rose quickly and waved them in. He obviously recognized Sasuke and had been expecting his return.

Sakura continued to follow Sasuke until they arrived at what appeared to be the village hospital. There was a young man at the reception table, who simply rose and guided them towards one of the hospital rooms.

Sasuke entered the door to find a woman sitting next to a young girl in the hospital bed. The woman looked up when the door opened, and her eyes shot open at the sight of them.

"Sasuke! You've returned... and you brought her..." the woman said. She stood up and bowed to the two leaf ninja. "My name is Makoto. Thank you so much for coming here so quickly."

"Of course! My name is Sakura Haruno-"

"We know who you are, dear. Your clinic has changed the lives of so many children, even in our small village. For that, we can't thank you enough"

Sakura blushed at the compliment. The clinics had been active for almost two years, and in that time she had been so busy running them that she really hadn't had the chance to take a step back and look at the work she'd done. This, however, was not the moment to do so.

"This is my daughter. She was one of the first the be inflicted with this mysterious illness. I'm afraid... she may not have much time left."

Sakura nodded and approached the bed. The young girl was fast asleep. Sakura grabbed her medical bag from her backpack and began to analyze the her condition.

The first thing she noticed were the black marks on her arms, just as Sasuke had recalled. She crouched down and gently touched one of the marks to investigate the source. The young girl visibly cringed, showing the extreme sensitivity of the spots even through her sleep.

Upon a closer visual inspection, she confirmed that the spots were in fact some sort of blood blister - painful at that. Sakura rested a hand on her forehead and felt the high fever that Sasuke described as well.

Sakura's hand glowed green as she attempted to calm down the fever. In doing so, the young girl began to awaken from her slumber, revealing her sweet, onyx eyes.

"Hey there, I'm Dr. Haruno. I'm here to help you feel better. What's your name?"

The little girl looked at Sakura, almost as if she was a little confused, but finally seemed to come to with a short answer in reply.

"Sarada"

"It's nice to meet you, Sarada. Can you please tell me everything about how you're feeling?"

Sarada looked worriedly at Sakura, and back to her mother. Makoto gave the girl a small nod in approval.

"I'm cold. The spots hurt. My throat hurts… and I'm dizzy…" she said. Her voice was very scratchy and soft. Sakura nodded and continued to use her medical ninjutsu to comfort the girl.

"Okay, is that it? Do you feel like it's getting better or worse?"

"Worse"

Sakura cringed slightly at the response, and finished with her basic medical examination. She walked over to the small counter in the room to find the medical chart, full of blood tests and other scans, all coming out fairly normal.

"White blood cell count is slightly elevated, but not as much as I would expect… everything else looks fairly normal… she's had antibiotics, all known poison antidotes…" Sakura trailed off mumbling to herself.

After a few moments in thought, Sakura excused herself from the examination room and returned to the front of the hospital.

"Where can I find the doctor working on this case?" The young man at reception showed the renowned medic up to the top floor of the building and into the office of an older man.

"Hello, I'm -"

"Dr. Haruno. So glad to make your acquaintance. I'm Dr. Tanaka. Please come in" Sakura blushed again at the recognition and entered the office.

"So I take you've met dear Sarada already? She was the first one afflicted with the illness. Since then it's spread… it's progressed faster in the others though, we've already lost lives from this…" Sakura bowed her head in response, to pay a brief moment of honor to the young lives claimed by the mysterious malady.

"The children don't seem to have anything in particularly common. They live all over the village, and most of them attend the same school, but not all. It doesn't appear to be contagious, as for example, Sarada's younger brother hasn't showed any sort of symptoms. We have a large medical community here in town due to the school, but none of them appear to be able to crack the case...

"We're so thankful that you're here, Dr. Haruno. Our children's clinic based off your model has been immensely successful. Please let me know if there's anything at all we can do to help, as we are forever in great debt to you."

Sakura nodded, and thought for a second. "If there doesn't appear to be anything in common, let's do a full analysis of water and local food supplies. I'd also like to do a full blood analysis on Sarada as well, just to see if there's anything changed since it was last done. Are there any others recently infected that I can talk to?"

"Yes, I believe in rooms 1-12 and 1-15, just past Sarada's room"

"Thank you. I'll get straight to work, then"

Sakura made her way back to the patient rooms when she saw the room she was in earlier. She stopped to knock and enter the room, only to find Sarada fast asleep by herself, her mother and Sasuke no longer there. Sakura sighed and continued on to the other patient rooms to speak with the other inflicted children.

* * *

Sasuke had caught up with Sakura the night before and showed her the way to the Police Chief's house, who had offered to house them while they worked to help their daughter, Sarada. Sakura declined however, as for being such a small town, their library had been surprisingly expansive and helpful. She spent the night in the village's medical school library, skipping another full night's sleep. She had found a few slow acting poisons that seemed to fit the symptoms, but when the water analysis came back clean, she was back to square one with her research.

Just as Sakura had begun to pass out over her books, a young man approached her: deep green hair fell over his light brown eyes and he wore a friendly smile on his face.

"Dr. Haruno, is it?" he said, finally. Sakura shot awake at the sound, and nodded, slightly embarrassed at her near-nap there in the library.

"I'm a student here, and a big fan of your work! I see that you're busy working on the case of these children, but you seem exhausted. Please do me the honor of letting me treat you to lunch!"

Sakura couldn't tell if he was asking her on a date or just being friendly, but based on how tired she was, she decided it couldn't hurt. She agreed, shut the book she was reading and followed him out of the library.

The two went to a local barbecue restaurant and had a nice meal together, discussing the history of the medical facility and various other related topics. The young man had politely offered to pay for her meal, and walked her back to the campus.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd love a tour of the medical school before I get back to work!" Sakura said as they approached the library.

"That sounds like a great idea! I'd be honored to show you our small facility!"

The two walked through the whole facility, seeing their testing areas, lab areas, classrooms, and more. Towards the end of the final hallway that they explored, Sakura saw a door labeled "Research". Her eyes lit up in excitement and she approached the room.

"I'd love to see what kinds of things you guys are working on!" Sakura said, when a hand from behind grabbed her arm.

"I'm sorry, but that's for faculty only. Students aren't allowed inside" the young man said to her.

"Oh, alright! Who can I talk to about seeing it?"

"You won't be able to get permission to see it." He snapped back. Sakura frowned at the surprising rudeness of the gesture, filing away the moment in the back of her head. Sakura was the sharpest medical ninja in the Land of Fire and beyond - if a medical case could be solved, she could solve it. And she believed she just did.

Except that, to prove it, she was going to need to sneak into that Research lab.

 _'Look's like it's gunna be another long night... Shanaroo..'_

* * *

A/N: Ooooh that guy is a bastard, you just know it! Thank you all for the kind reviews on last chapter! I love hearing your thoughts so far :)


	12. Anonymous

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Sakura wandered through the village just after the sun had set and found her way back to the police chief's house. She wasn't sure if anyone was expecting her, so she simply knocked on the front door. Makoto, the mother of the young girl in the hospital, answered and welcomed her into their home. She led them into their living room, where her husband, her son, and Sasuke were all sitting together, enjoying a hot tea.

"I'll get you a cup Sakura, please join us!" Makoto said, and left to their kitchen. Makoto's husband rose and bowed to her in a friendly greeting.

"Welcome to our home, Dr. Haruno. I am Ken, and this is my son, Sasuke"

"S…Sasuke?" Sakura's eyes widened at the young boy, then cracked a smile at him. The young boy didn't seem at all like _her_ Sasuke at that age. Thinking back at everything the Uchiha had gone through, that was probably a good thing.

"Yep, named after the father of the third Hokage, Sarutobi Sasuke. We had hopes of sending him to attend the Leaf Village's ninja academy when he turns 6 next year." The proud father tapped his son on the back, causing the young Sasuke to blush lightly in embarrassment. Sakura chuckled a bit, as she remembered the Uchiha telling her that he had the same namesake.

Ken's face turned more serious and he turned back to Sakura. "Do you… Have you…" he politely asked about his daughter without using many words. Sakura nodded in response.

"I have an idea that I'll need to test out tomorrow. I hope to resolve the situation soon" the medic replied. The Uchiha made a brief moment of eye contact with her, releasing almost a smile before he returned to his tea. Makoto returned from the kitchen with a tea cup for Sakura, and the five of them enjoyed the evening getting to know each other. As much as they could anyway, given the circumstances. Makoto, Ken, and young Sasuke left for bed, leaving Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura together in the living room. A few quiet moments passed before Sakura broke the silence.

"They're a lovely family, Sasuke. How did you meet them?" Sakura asked.

"About a year ago I was traveling through the forest nearby. I heard a woman screaming my name. I found her, and realized that it was Makoto, and her son had gotten lost in the forest.

"I helped her find the boy, and they offered me some food and a place to stay. I've been stopping by every time I'm in the area since then" Sasuke finished the last sip of his tea and set his cup back down on the small coffee table. Sakura smiled at his story, and took a deep breath.

"They remind you a lot of your own family, don't they?" she said. "Ken is the police chief, Makoto is so warm and friendly, the younger brother Sasuke, and…"

"I don't want him to have to lose his older sister." Sasuke interrupted. His eyes were focused straight ahead and the weight of his words sunk in. If anyone knew what it was like to lose their family, to lose their older sibling, to lose the one you look up to the most…

"Sasuke… I believe I may have the answer to what's going on here. I'll need your help. Tonight" Sakura turned serious and looked to him. "Let's go for a walk."

* * *

The two of them walked through the village with a heavy silence before Sakura finally spoke up.

"Sasuke, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault" she said. Sasuke looked over at her, in confusion.

"How could this possibly be your fault, Sakura?"

"After my own clinic, and the clinic I opened in the Sand, it was too much work for me to closely manage and run more locations. I worked closely with Kakashi to set up a program where nearby villages could receive funding to set up a children's clinic modeled after my own, a Satellite Clinic program. There's one in town… that's why all the parents and doctors are so familiar with me.

"The medical school… I had a brief tour of it earlier today, and I was forbidden from entering the research lab. Given how the people had treated me previously in such high regard, I grew immediately suspicious.

"I remembered in my studies there was this anti-anxiety medication in development. It was extremely cheap to produce, so testing went on a little bit longer than it should have. In almost all patients, the drug ended up _causing_ the anxiety instead of relieving it. In a few cases, patients wound up with somewhat similar symptoms. As you can imagine though, it was never tested on children" Sakura swallowed hard on her words.

"So I believe they're slipping anxiety _inducing_ medication to get the local children to their clinic to ensure that they get funded. I wouldn't be surprised if their plan was to then simply take them off the pills, so everyone thinks the therapy is working."

Sasuke visibly cringed at her final conclusion. They walked in silence until the medical school was finally in sight, both pausing in the dimly lit road.

"Then how are we going to put a stop to this?" Sasuke said, keeping his eyes on the building in the distance.

"Treatment may be dangerous if I'm wrong. We're going to break into the research lab and confirm that this is what they're doing." The two of them leaped forward, stealthily approaching the building.

* * *

"This is the way to the research lab" Sakura whispered to Sasuke. The two crouched next to a small window in the building. She dug into her bag and pulled out a collection of medical tools, which she used to silently drill a small hole into the window. Her hand just barely fit through the hole, with which she flipped the lock, allowing the whole window to open.

"Wait out here and cover me." Sakura slipped in through the tiny window while Sasuke transformed to blend in with his surroundings.

Sakura entered the dark laboratory, looking around with only the illumination of a tiny portable flashlight. She flipped through the papers on the center countertop, finding only regular research notes and nothing of interest. To her left was a door, heavy and metal, likely belonging to a refrigerated or frozen storage area. She confirmed this by touching the large door, which almost burnt with coldness.

Turning around, a small cabinet with the door ajar caught her eye. She softly stepped towards it, using her glove-covered hand to open it fully. Inside lay boxes and boxes of medication. She grabbed a box of the pills and her eyes confirmed what she had feared: that certain anxiety causing drugs.

She took the box over to the large countertop in the center of the lab; her eyes filled with tears as she thought about the pain and suffering these drugs had caused the village. Children's lives lost and families changed forever. She couldn't stop the thought from overcoming her that this was all, somehow, her fault.

"Damn it…" She sobbed silently, alone in the dark laboratory. "Shanaroo!" She slammed her fist down on the countertop out of sheer rage.

Suddenly, a small crack began to form across the counter. Sakura jumped back, not realizing her own strength in the moment, and watched it slowly grow, inch by inch, until she realized she would soon be in trouble.

The lights in the room turned a bright red, coupled with a blaring loud alarm. She dashed for the window she came in through, but bars slammed down over it before she could get there.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled through the hole she had cut through earlier. Sasuke deactivated his disguise and ran to her, already alerted in that moment from the blaring alarm horns. Sakura tossed the drugs she had found through the small hole, which was luckily still accessible despite the bars now sealing her in.

"Bring these to Dr. Tanaka immediately - he should know what to do. I'll handle this!" Sakura yelled. Sasuke nodded, took the small box and dashed away towards the hospital. She watched him disappear through the window, wiped her eyes, and took a deep breath.

The bars on the entrance door suddenly lowered and three guards rushed in, followed by an older man in a white lab coat. Sakura slowly stood from her position by the window and turned around to face them.

"Well well, if it isn't the prodigy medical ninja Haruno Sakura. What might a genius like you be doing in my laboratory?" The man said. Judging by his comments, he must have been the head of the medical school.

"I've got a better question for you. Why are you poisoning children to fund your clinic?" Sakura said, cracking her knuckles.

"Oh my - that's quite an accusation! That doesn't sound like something that a renowned physician such as I, Dr-"

Sakura's fist met the wall behind her, shattering the wall, sending half of the lab to the ground. The guards and the man covered their heads, afraid of the pieces of ceiling above them which began to fall, one by one. Sakura stood tall, unphased at the room's collapse. She took another step forward once the dust began to settle.

"I don't care what your name is. No doctor guilty of your crimes will be remembered. Now I'll ask you again. Why are you poisoning children to fund your clinic?"

The man began to tremble as Sakura stomped closer, and the guards readied their battle stances. Another step closer, and one of the guards began to visibly tremble as he attempted to threaten the angry medic before him.

"You know what? It doesn't even matter" Sakura visibly gathered chakra in her hand and smashed the ground, sending the rest of the laboratory crumbling from above and below. The three guards groaned as large pieces of the roof had trapped them in.

Sakura slowly walked over and grabbed the doctor by the arm and dragged him out of the rubble. His body hung limp from the shock of her attack. "You can come with me now"

* * *

Sakura waited patiently at the small police station in the village for Sarada's father to show up. He arrived quickly, and she jumped onto her feet, bowing to him.

"I am so sorry. This whole situation is my fault" Sakura said, tearing up once again. The police chief smiled slightly, and hugged her sincerely.

"Please don't blame yourself. You and Sasuke have just saved the lives of countless children in our town. For that, we cannot thank you enough." The man released the embrace and kindly wiped a tear off of her face. "The doctor is in our custody and won't be causing anyone else harm here or anywhere else."

Sakura nodded and the two shared a quiet moment of relief. "I just… I don't know why he did it. I tried to get it out of him, but…"

Ken chuckled at the thought of the destroyed medical laboratory. "I can't imagine why anyone would do it either. He's been a rival of Dr. Tanaka's from our own hospital for quite some time. It could have had something to do with that. We'll worry about that another time" He put his hand on her shoulder once again. "Thank you again so much, Sakura."

Sakura smiled, but then her eyes shot open. "Sarada! How is she? Did Sasuke get there in time?"

The police chief nodded. "I have to deal with this now - feel free to see for yourself!"

A huge smile shot across her face and she dashed out of the police station and towards the hospital.

* * *

The lights in the hospital were dim, but a young woman still worked at the small reception desk. She nodded at Sakura, who made her way towards Sarada's room.

They had moved her into a different room, farther down the hallway. Sakura noticed right away, as Sasuke was standing outside, staring into the window into the room. She approached him, he giving a small nod in acknowledgement, and peered in as well.

Sarada lay on her hospital bed, now with a breathing mask over her face, fast asleep. Still covered in rashes and blisters, she now appeared at peace. Her mother and younger brother sat in a chair next to the bed, also asleep, but still with soft smiles on their faces.

"She's going to be fine" Sasuke finally said. Sakura made eye contact with him and found herself, yet again, letting tears fall from eyes. Even though they were tears of relief, of joy, Sakura found herself overwhelmed with exhaustion and emotion and broke out into a soft sob.

Sasuke's mismatched eyes didn't leave Sakura - they couldn't. For him as well, the huge burden of responsibility, urgency, and even guilt had been lifted off his own shoulders. He put his lone arm around the young woman and pulled her close. The two stood there, in silence interrupted by Sakura's tears of joy, holding each other tightly.

"Thank you, Sakura. For everything."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the delay on this one. Thanks for all of the follows, reviews, and favs thus far. I'd love to hear what you think about this turn of events! 3


	13. Where the heart is

A/N: Hey everyone! I didn't forget about this story. The story sort of wrote itself, but I had so much trouble working on the ending. Then of course school and life happened. It's finally ready, and I sincerely thank everyone who reviewed, faved, and followed the story up to this point! Enjoy!

* * *

"Won't you stay the night?" Makoto pleaded, arms crossed and leaning up against the door frame. A chill pierced through the early morning, and she shivered. Her eyes were full of warmth, a huge weight just lifted off her shoulders. "Sarada should be awake tomorrow. I'm sure she'd love to say thank you!"

Sasuke bowed his head slightly, feeling a small pang in his heart not being able to say goodbye to the young girl.

"I'm sorry. But… I feel like the time has finally come for me to return home"

Sakura jolted up. She looked over at him and a large smile began to cover her face. After three years, he was finally ready to come home! She gleamed at the idea of him being in Konaha - a free man returning home for the first time since he had left her almost 7 years ago. Her happy thoughts were interrupted by Makoto, stepping forward and giving the Uchiha a hug.

"There's no way we can repay you. Thank you for everything you have done for us Sasuke. You have saved our family" She quickly stepped away, so as not to overstep her boundaries. She bowed to Sakura as well. "And thank you, Sakura. The same goes for you. We are eternally grateful."

"Please say goodbye to everyone else for us!" Sakura waved goodbye, and the pair turned to leave the family's home, and the small village.

* * *

The two travelled in comfortable silence. While from the outside it seemed as though nothing had changed from their journey to the village, both of them could feel that this was not the case. The wall that Sasuke had started to build inside himself had crumbled to the ground: Sakura could feel it, and she beamed as she sprinted through the trees.

Sakura could also feel his and her own exhaustion. She wasn't sure how much longer she should go, and decided to speak up this time instead of continuing on until the point of collapse as she had done previously.

"Sasuke…" Sakura spoke up from Sasuke's trail. "Is the town we stopped at on the way here coming up soon? I'm already exhausted" Sasuke turned back at her with a soft look and nodded.

"It's about an hour ahead" He replied, and Sakura nodded, focusing her energy forward to make it the rest of the way to the Inn.

They arrived almost exactly an hour later. Sakura handed her travel pack over to Sasuke while she used the restroom in the lobby and he took care of the room once again.

She left the restroom to find Sasuke there waiting for her. He motioned for her to follow, and she did, staying close behind.

They arrived at the same room they stayed in on the way there, the honeymoon suite. Sasuke unlocked the door and entered, Sakura following after a brief pause.

"Ah, the other rooms were still booked?" She asked, unstrapping her shoes and setting down her bag in the room.

"No" Sasuke replied. Sakura sprang upright, realizing that Sasuke had purposely booked them a shared room. Sasuke took notice and raised an eyebrow at her. "Should I have gotten two rooms?"

Sakura's face flushed and she waved her hands nervously at him. "No! No… it's perfectly okay!" She calmed herself from the brief panic. "I was just asking!" Sasuke turned back with an almost smug smirk across his face, and went to the kitchen area in the suite. He turned on the tea kettle and pulled out some rice balls from his bag, offering one to Sakura. They prepared their teas and snacks and kneeled down at the small dining table in the corner of the room. While in the past, they had chosen to mostly eat together in comfortable silence, this time she wanted to speak up.

"So… You're finally ready to come home!" Sakura said after finishing a bite of her rice ball. "I'm really happy to hear that. Why now?" She cringed at her awkward phrasing of the question. "I guess what I mean to ask is… what made you decide to return home?" A soft smile remained on her face while she patiently awaited his response.

"I'll never be able to make up for the things that I've done but… I think I've gotten as close as I can for now" He paused a moment to take a sip of his tea. "I worked with all ninja villages and many smaller towns throughout the land to made amends as much as possible. The rest, I owe to Konoha."

"I was on my way back actually when they summoned me about Sarada. I came immediately, but found myself completely unable to help them. It was a harsh reminder that I can't do everything on my own"

Sakura paused for a moment and thought about what he said to her. "I thought we learned that back at the bell test with Kakashi-sensei"

Sasuke's head perked up and his eyes glazed over as he silently remembered the bell test. He wasn't friends with Naruto or Sakura at the time. He'd always felt alone at the academy just before that, both at skill levels and personal levels. The first time he had considered working together with his teammates was the moment he handed over his lunch to Naruto. Even Sakura back then had warned against it. Sasuke had come a very, very long way since then.

His journey was to atone for his sins. To find himself again. And if he wasn't there already, he was very close now. After a long, comfortable silence, Sasuke, closed his eyes and smiled softly.

"You're right but… It's different now. " Sasuke paused for a moment, swallowing almost nervously. "With this power I have now…"

Sakura watched him carefully, waiting for his next words. He noticed her curious expression and met her eyes.

"My weaknesses are your strengths. You and I are… " Sasuke trailed off, eyes glued downwards looking into his tea. His eyes wandered back up to meet hers. "Thank you Sakura"

Sakura fervently fought off the blush filling up her face. What was he going to say? What were they - and what was she to him? God, he was so terrible with words. She took a deep breath. "Thanks… for what?"

"For everything"

But, at the same time, he wasn't terrible with words. At the same time, he knew exactly what to say. She closed her eyes and let out a small giggle, nodding in understanding and acceptance. She picked up her cup of tea and took a large sip, as it finally reached a temperature she could enjoy.

The two continued to sit there together in each others' presence until they finished up their tea. At the end, Sasuke rose up, taking his and her empty cup over to the small sink in the room. "I'll take a shower now" he stated simply, looking back at her. Sakura nodded, and he left into the bathroom.

* * *

Once the water started running, Sakura got up from her seat at the table and walked over to her bag. She picked it up and dug through to find clean clothes to sleep in as well as her toiletries. Her hand bumped into the intricate jeweled box that she had brought with her on their short journey. She grabbed it from inside her bag and opened it up, breathing a sigh of relief at seeing the ring still there, safe and sound. She peeked back behind her at the locked restroom door and took the ring out of the box, sliding it on her left ring finger. It fit perfectly, and looked absolutely beautiful: Jewels sparkling bright from a thousand different angles. She had never seen something quite like it before, and the pure beauty put her in a trance for a moment.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" A deep familiar voice said. Sakura snapped out of her entrancement and locked eyes with Sasuke, who stood next to her in nothing but a towel. Her face changed from her usual soft peachy skin to a deep shade of vermillion, sweat rolling down her face. She dropped her bag, spilling her belongings out onto the floor. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her, and she swallowed hard.

"Sasuke… I'm so sorry… I didn't mean…" Sakura stuttered continuously. The confused Uchiha let out a small "Hn" and grabbed his own bag, reaching for his bottle of soap, which he had seemingly forgotten before, and walked back towards the bathroom, as the shower was still running. Before closing the door again behind him, he turned back at her: she was still sweating and beet-red. He shot her a grin that she didn't see and finished his shower.

Sakura hid her face in her hands for a few moments. How disrespectful she had been! While he was gone, Sasuke entrusted her with this beautiful piece of jewelry, one of the only things - if not, the only thing - he had left of his family. She couldn't help but feel mortified that he caught her wearing it. He was probably angry - probably felt like she was defiling his mother's distant memory.

And honestly, she had taken really good care of it thus far. It barely ever left her sight, or was locked securely away in her home. She hadn't tried it on before, although she had spent countless lonely nights gazing into the jewels both on the ring and on the box itself.

She had waited for years for their bond to begin to mend and restore to where they were before Sasuke had left the village to follow Orochimaru. She couldn't explain why, but she wondered if she had lost that opportunity for good.

'Although…' she looked up as a new thought popped in her head.

Sasuke had given the box to her in case he would be sentenced to death or for his time in prison. He easily could have taken it back once he was released. He could have brought it with him on his journey, just as she brought it on theirs.

However, he only took his father's ring and left her the rest. Why did he do that…?

As Sakura trailed off on her train of thought, the shower turned off. She heard the door open and each step Sasuke took. He went towards the bedroom area in the suite, so she didn't see him. She grabbed her things and quickly jumped into the bathroom for her own shower.

* * *

Sakura took a deep breath as she emerged from the bathroom. She had made herself completely ready for bed. She planned on going straight there, hopefully to give Sasuke his space.

As she opened the door and exited the room, making a b-line for the bed, her eyes shot open as she saw Sasuke there: he was sitting up on the left side of the bed with a book, wearing no shirt and long sleep pants. He glanced over at her, then back at his book. Sakura expected that she would take the bed again, as she has last time, but was okay with the couch, too.

"I'm going to head to bed. Goodnight, Sasuke" She said softly and stepped towards the living room. Sasuke looked back up from his book and furrowed his brows as he watched her leave.

"Where are you going?" He asked, making Sakura freeze in her tracks. She turned to meet his eyes, heart skipping a beat.

"Oh, the couch… just… well since you… I, uh…" Her pink hair slowly began to contrast less and less with her face as her nervousness compounded by the second. Did he really just imply that he wanted to share a bed together? Sasuke continued to meet her gaze, seemly staring into her soul as she stood there, confused.

Sasuke shut his book. "You're welcome to have the bed to yourself. I'll take the couch" he said plainly, and began to get up from the bed.

"Sasuke, wait -" Sakura said, reaching out her hand instinctively. He turned around from sitting on the edge of the bed. The two stood, meeting eyes for a moment. Sakura closed her eyes and took a silent deep breath to calm herself down. Without another word, she walked over to the bed, the right side, lifted the covers, and crawled into the bed. Sasuke watched her out of the corner of his eye, smirked to himself, and crawled back into bed. He opened his book back to where he was and silently continued to read next to her.

Sakura's heart felt like it might escape from her chest. Sasuke had been on and off with her since after the end of the war: she knew it was just how he was, and because of what he had been through, but she still just couldn't read him. She knew she needed to clear the air between them, and soon; otherwise, sleep would be impossible.

"Sasuke, I have something I need to say" She said, swallowing hard. "I'm very sorry for trying on your mother's ring. You entrusted me to keep it safe… I should have known better."

Sasuke peeked back up from his book and looked over at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Why would I be upset that you wore the ring I gave you?" He replied to her.

Sakura's poor heart stopped once again, her eyes completely drained to white. "You… gave me?" Sasuke's eyes looked from left to right in both remembrance, and confusion. He nodded.

"I thought… you wanted me to… I was protecting it while you were gone"

"While I was in prison"

"But… I… Hgn…" Sakura continued to stutter incoherently.

Sasuke closed his book and set it on the small table beside his side of the bed. He sat up completely, and turned to her, crossing his legs slightly and looking her directly.

"Sakura, three years ago I left Konoha. I took my father's ring, and I left the other with you" Sasuke visibly displayed concern in his voice as he spoke.

Sakura blushed and furrowed her brows, leaving Sasuke out of her view and gazing blankly ahead of her. A few heavy moments passed while she pondered his words.

Sakura wasn't stupid - the thought had crossed her mind even earlier that night that he could have taken the box and the ring with him. He even had the opportunity to take it with him, since he had opened it and taken his father's ring on that day three years before. But, she had been in love with Sasuke since she understood what love actually meant - and even before that. She knew him well and knew better than to expect things from him. If she was going to understand the gesture, she had no choice but to ask him directly.

"What… does this ring mean, Sasuke?" She squeaked out, simply unable to look back at him.

"It means that you and I are connected" At the response, Sakura's eyes widened, and she looked over at him, a soft blush growing across her face. With his remaining arm, he reached out and lovingly tapped her forehead.

Sakura giggled and placed her hand on her forehead as she remembered the day he left three years ago. The same caring, loving gesture passed down from Sasuke's beloved elder brother, Itachi was once again shared between them. From a man of few words, she understood what this meant for him, for her - for them.

"It's getting late. We should get some sleep" The last Uchiha crawled under the blankets and shut off the lamp. "Goodnight, Sakura"

"Goodnight, Sasuke" Sakura answered, her wide smile concealed by the darkness, and slipped under the covers as well. Sasuke lay on his back to her and in the dim moonlight, she could see his gorgeous form - strong, muscular, with the occasional scar from battle. Her stomach was already full of butterflies at his loving words, at their first significant moment of building their relationship together. She had been waiting for this for far too long.

Facing him in bed, Sakura's eyes remained open until she could hear his breathing slow, finally drifting off to sleep. She was so exhausted too, but her mind was crammed full with thoughts of this night. After all these years, Sasuke was finally ready to let someone into his life - and it was her.

Despite her giddiness, the fatigue caught up with her as she joined him in a deep slumber.

* * *

Sasuke woke up first. His eyes slowly opened, seeing only pink before they began to focus. He lay on his left shoulder, facing the woman he shared the bed with. She lay still asleep, lightly snoring, with a content expression across her face.

He contemplated what he should do. He was well aware that she loved him in every way, and had for as long as they had known each other: however, it didn't necessarily make it any easier for him to understand his own.

He had been alone since the day he his family was killed. He developed an unbreakable bond between his teammates that he tried his hardest to sever. Even when he was unsuccessful in that goal, he still left to be on his own, to atone for his sins and make up for what he'd done by helping those around the nations who were in need. But still he felt incomplete.

However, when she was with him, that began to change. Between her medical knowledge, intelligence, and brute strength and his own immense chakra and power, they completed each other. Her sweet, kind, and outgoing personality perfectly complimented his own stern introversion. Of course the two of them were already teammates on team 7, but besides that, the two of them were their own team, of sorts. A perfect match, unstoppable on all fronts.

Sasuke rolled over on his back, placing his only arm behind his head, deep in thought for almost a half hour before the pink haired kunoichi began to open her eyes.

"Good… good morning Sasuke!" She said, her glowing green eyes puffy and half-open. She yawned and stretched before sitting up in the bed. "Did you sleep well?" She asked, a warm and caring smile across her face.

Sasuke simply nodded and sat up as well in bed, lifting the covers and crawling out of the bed. He grabbed his shirt and slipped it on, leaving the bedroom for the kitchen area. Sakura quickly heard the whistle of water boiling for tea, so she mustered up her strength and got out of bed as well.

They shared a small breakfast together in silence. Sakura didn't feel the same comfort as she had with him last night: something seemed different with Sasuke since then, but she couldn't tell what. They had a long day of traveling ahead of them before they got back to the Leaf though, so she figured she could give him some space. After all, she hadn't ever spent the night with him before - maybe that's just how he is in the morning?

Bags packed and ready to leave, the two checked out of the hotel and walked side by side until they exited the small town. Sasuke hadn't changed since that morning - still seeming distant and almost strange to her. The night before had felt so comfortable and so right, and she couldn't bear to lose that connection once again. A few minutes outside the town, she stopped in her tracks. Sasuke took a few steps and stopped, turning to make eye contact, asking why she stopped is without words.

"Sasuke… is something wrong?" Sakura asked. The Uchiha's eyes wandered briefly, and he shook his head, unconvincingly. Sakura grimaced and looked to the ground.

"Everytime we take a step forward together, it's like we take two steps back," she said plainly. "One moment I think that there's really something between us, the next as if you hardly care about me at all. It's so confusing, and I can't…" she trailed off, small tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. Sasuke's eyes widened and he approached her slowly.

He reached out and lifted up her chin with his hand. His thumb gently wiped a tear falling down her cheek, and he gave her a warm, loving smile. His fingers found their way through her pink locks and their eyes met. Time felt like it stopped for a moment, as the two of them stood there, completely entranced in each other's gaze.

"Sakura… " he began. His arm lifted from her face and he took a step back from her. "It's just… I'm not sure if I'm ready to return to Konoha, after all"

Sakura looked surprised for a brief moment, but then her face was overcome with sadness in realization of what he just said. Her eyes met the ground once again.

"How long… how long will you make me wait?" She managed to reply. She loved him, and there was no helping it: waiting for him was not a choice, but rather a fact of life. A weak feeling of panic began to flow through her body, and the tears began to well in her eyes once again.

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

"I felt like I was ready to come home, but I had to reconsider what that meant," He paused for another moment, gathering his next words and reached into his pocket.

He stepped close to Sakura once again, touching the outside of her shoulder, sliding his hand down to grab her arm and hold her petite hand in his own in between them. His hand, which was half in a fist, opened; he held before her his mother's ring. Sakura's eyes widened at it and alternated between staring at him and staring at the beautiful piece of jewelry.

"I don't think I'm ready to go back to Konoha, but I am ready to come home. And when I'm with you, it… feels like home. I would love for you to wear this ring and take this journey together"

Sakura's eyes flew open and a heavy blush fell upon her face. She looked at the beautiful ring in Sasuke's hand, and picked it up and slid it on to her ring finger - the same one she had felt so embarrassed for trying it on before.

The tears continued, but no longer of sadness but of happiness. She jumped forward and held him in a tight embrace, one which the once stoic man quickly and tightly returned. After a few brief moments he pushed her back slightly, using his remaining arm to lift up her chin once again. After the two locked eyes, Sasuke leaned in and met her lips with his own, sending shockwaves throughout Sakura's body. She returned the kiss, pressing his lips harder than he was prepared for - wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on tightly.

The kiss, ending infinitely too soon, left both of them speechless. Sakura had been waiting for this for so long, she could hardly contain the pure joy that welled in her heart. He hadn't been upset or cold to her on purpose that day - he was just shy to admit to her that he wanted to be with her. All along she wasn't waiting for him to return her feelings, she was waiting for him to be ready to accept his own. She took a deep breath and intertwined her fingers with his own, taking a step forward, away from the town.

"So… where to?"

* * *

A/N: Well, that's it folks! Hope you enjoyed it very much. I tried very hard to keep everyone in character as much as possible but I think that's sort of impossible with Sasuke in a romantic story! Heh. Anyways, this has been a headcanon of mine for how Sakura and Sasuke got together, I'd still love to hear your thoughts and comments as always.

Also, a shout out to the awesome reboot of Naruto called Naruto Akiden! It's a crazy high quality doujin you can find with a quick google search ("Naruto Akiden"). It's amazing work and is like a fanfiction fan's dream come true! Next chapter is out in two weeks so don't miss it.


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